That Which is Lost
by GorimJr
Summary: Alternate ending to CoC. After Gregor kills the Bane, he and Ares are captured by the rats, and Gregor is saved by members of the legendary Colony of Lost. 4 years later, the rats are divided, and a new war is starting. Can Gregor and Boots stop them all?
1. Captured

A/N: Gorim: Own not, profit not, sue not

Ares: Thief. You stole that from a Harry Potter parody!

Gorim: SNAPE DIES!

Ares: horrified gasp

Henry: Yeesh Ares, Deathly Hallows has only been out since last summer.

Luxa: Can we get on with it?

Gorim: Oh, and by the way, in this story, Solovet lives and Vikus doesn't have a

stroke.

P.S. Ares is my favorite character. Also, in my brain, Henry is not pleased at being a good guy. He's attempted to take over my brain once or twice. Also, minor commentaries from the characters shall be put here, at the top of the page, at each new chapter. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. Reviews are beloved, flames shall be used to burn puppies.

Bane: NOT THE PUPPIES!

That Which is Lost

Chapter One: The Lost Colony

Ares P.O.V

As Gregor and I flew through the tunnels, seemingly towards death, at the time it had not occurred to me what this battle meant. I had read The Prophecy of Time. I knew what it said would happen to Gregor. But the conversation I had had with him previously had erased the thought of him dieing. At the first battle, though not distracting me, the thought of Gregor dieing, of me losing my second bond, had torn at my heart. By the time we fought the Bane for the second time, I was confident that we could prove Sandwich wrong. That Gregor would live.

After the Bane caught up with us, Gregor proved that he had some startlingly good taunting skills, and, probably unintentionally, goaded the Bane into ripping the head off the brains of the operation. Literally. Then the battle begun.

"Go for the face!" Gregor had yelled. There was a slight difference in his voice. I may have noticed it, but it did not matter at the time. There was an obvious difference in the Bane's fighting tactics though, and it made going for the face inadequate. He no longer cared. All that mattered was killing us. Instead, Gregor, after asking for advice, used the Bane's lose of balance against him. I whirled around in circles then got extremely close. It was when Gregor sliced into the Bane's leg when I realized my mistake. I was _too _close.

I tried desperately to get out of range, but it was much too late for that. The Bane yanked on my wing and whirled me around. As the Bane's teeth got closer, I heard Gregor cry out my name. There was a note of anguish in his voice that made my heart stop. There was a clang as the Bane's teeth got closer and closer. But just as his teeth were about to sink into my throat… he stopped. And looked down. I followed his gaze.

Gregor had dropped his dagger, pulled his sword, and sunk it into the Bane's heart. I felt an extremely irrational surge of pride. Gregor had done it. He killed the Bane. And he was obviously still alive. Sandwich was wrong.

The Bane gagged and swatted Gregor away like a rag doll. As Gregor hit the ground, his blood spurted and my blood ran cold. I jerked my wing away from the rapidly dieing Gnawer and went to my bond. The Bane fell and died just as I reached my friend. He was loosing too much blood too fast. If I did not hurry, he would not make it.

_When the monsters blood is spilled_

_When the warrior has been killed_

For a second I was immobile as those dreadful words, those horrible words, made their way into my thoughts. No, I thought. No, there is no way. I picked Gregor up as gently as I could and placed him on my back. It was instantly wet, and I choked. Pumping my wings as hard I as possibly could, I wound my way through about half of the tunnels. But I was flying low, in the name of speed. For what happened after that, and what happened because of it, the blame falls on me.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of the air by my wings and pinned down on the rock. Gregor was dragged away, and there was a great deal of talking. It did not take me long to realize they were rats.

I struggled, only succeeding in ripping my wings even more. I heard Gregor being dragged farther and farther away and I felt, and was, absolutely helpless. I could only struggle weakly, being quickly overcome by exhaustion, as my bond was dragged into the darkness.

Third Person

The darkness was the largest thing Gregor had to deal with, mentally anyway. Solitary with no light, no food, no water. He could almost feel his sanity melting away faster every day. For him, there was no hope. Sometimes, he thought he heard Boots in this Hellhole, crying the way she did, only louder, more desperate. "MA-MAAA! MA-MAA!" But Gregor understood. He understood that his mind just wanted to make him go insane, so neither of them would have to worry any more. Worry about Luxa, about Ares, about Boots and Howard and Lizzie and Ripred and all of his friends. And, all in all, he hoped this part of his mind would succeed.

It was around four months later in when it happened.

Gregor had been sitting in the darkness when several unfamiliar voices appeared. They were obviously human. Gregor thought of banging on the door, but he didn't have the strength. And besides, the conversation going on between the voices wasn't promising.

"Henry, hurry up. I don't care if you don't want to do this, it is your turn to come with us. Deal with it." This was a girl's voice. It was smooth, low. Then, with a jolt, he realized who she was talking to. _Henry._ He betrayed the group on the Prophecy of Gray quest, which had included Ares, Gregor, Luxa, Boots, and Luxa's Flier, Aurora, to the Gnawers. What was he doing here?

"But you are all _girls!_ You, Aphrodite, Kendra, Gaia, my own Flier Chloe. Seriously, how did we get so many girls in our colony?!" Henry whispered back. Gregor's jaw dropped; he pointed at the door just so he could point as something. That was HENRY! Luxa's COUSIN! Dear God! He died! Did the dead come back to life down here?

"You are lucky I caught you, Henry. This GIRL saved you from a rocky end" purred a female flier. Chloe, perhaps? Well, that explained how Henry lived. But that didn't explain what Henry and this band of girls were doing here.

Gregor jumped as one of them knocked on a door. Not his though. Henry then whispered, "Who is in there? Identify yourself." There was no answer. Henry sighed, exasperated, and said, a bit impatiently, "I can hear you breathing. I know you are in there. My friends and I are here to set you free. Now, identify yourself! Friend or Foe?" The last part was probably a joke. Not a welcome one, but a joke. Then Gregor heard a very familiar voice whisper, "No one you would wish to save, Henry." _Ares!_

Henry obviously recognized the voice as well, because he yelled, "_YOU!_" Each one of his teammates shushed him.

"What is it, lout?" asked Smooth-voiced girl. "Who is it?" There was silence. Then Henry muttered, "Like he said. No one we would wish to save." Another lady, one who had a soft, kind voice (Gregor suddenly had a flashback to Howard) said, "Now now Henry. You said you wouldn't pick and choose this time." _This time?_ Gregor got a bad feeling. Henry, however, didn't seem to care and knocked on Gregor's door.

"Friend or Foe?" Henry asked coolly. Gregor, determined to piss Henry off at least a little, said, as loudly as he could without hurting his throat, "I should ask the same thing. Or, a better question. What the hell are you doing alive, Henry, you backstabbing, black-blooded-" He was cut off by Smooth-voiced girl who was laughing and applauding.

"I don't care what you say, Henry. I like this guy. We're taking him, and the flier, whether you like it or not." Henry stammered, but no one cared, for the door opened and light flooded into the small, cold room. Gregor gasped, staring at the people who were saving his life and sanity.

Henry stood there, with a light beard and looking rather thin, wearing the same clothes that he was wearing when he fell, only they were much more ragged, and mended in some places with a weird, greenish fiber. Next to him was a brown bat, who was looking at him with kind, worried eyes. A black-haired, golden eyed girl wearing clean, gray pants and a gray shirt that, intentionally or not, exposed her flat, pale stomach, obviously a Halflander and about the same age as Gregor, stood in the doorway, a white bat standing behind her. For some reason, Gregor came to the sudden conclusion that this girl was the Smooth voiced one. Her eyes held kindness, sure, but not the same kind as the voice held. Then another woman came out of the shadows. She was an Underlander, with deep violet eyes and pale blonde hair down to her waist, and was wearing a long, gray sleeveless dress. Behind her was a black bat, like Ares. Henry sighed.

"Alright. We'll take him along, but I am drawing the line with Ares." The black bat behind the kind voiced woman gasped, turned to the right end of the hallway where Ares cell was and went to it. Henry sighed loudly, impatiently and grabbed Gregor's arm. As he pulled him up, he muttered, "Alright, Overlander. You are coming with us." Before Gregor could say anything, voices, Gnawer voices, started echoing from down the hallway, to the left. Henry cursed. But before he could say anything, a young, high voice screamed.

"MA-MAAAAA! MA-MAAAAAA!" The kind-voiced woman gasped.

"Henry! The voice of a child! It comes from just over here!" She ran to the door a few feet to the left, right next to Ares door. She took out a lock pick and opened the door in about 10 seconds. The voices were getting closer.

The woman reached low as Boots ran into her arms, sobbing. Gregor's heart stopped. He slumped onto the floor and burst into tears. It was too much for him.

Henry grabbed his head in exasperation. "This is a disaster! Get Boots, Kendra! Chloe! Get the Overlander! We need to get out of here. NOW."

Gregor found he could say nothing. He tried, but it was as if the words were trapped within him. Or there were no words for him to grasp.

The black bat continued to whisper to Ares for another couple of seconds, then grabbed the smooth-voiced lady and threw her onto her back. The brown flier, Chloe, gently picked up Gregor and placed him on her back as Kendra leapt onto the black flier. Gregor, doing the math, realized this must be Gaia. And the white bat, the husky-voiced lady's bat, that must be Aphrodite.

Horror gripped him as they all sped away from those accursed rooms. They were speeding away from more then that. They were speeding away from Ares. Tears filled Gregor's eyes as Chloe sped him away from his bond. The smooth-voiced lady noticed this, and whispered, "I saw some Regalian troops coming this way. Ares will undoubtedly be free in at least 10 minutes." Gregor wanted to ask why she and the others had freed him if help had been coming, but once again, he was unable. "By the way," she said, "I am she called Noah. And you are…?" She looked at him expectedly. Gregor, despite all that had happened in these last months, wanted to tell her his name. But, once again, he couldn't. He opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Noah looked slightly confused, then Henry said, awkwardly, "His name is Gregor. And the little girl is Margaret, or Boots." Gregor was surprised Henry had remembered Boots nickname, much less her real one. Noah smiled.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you, Gregor. Welcome to our colony." Gregor was a little confused. Henry sighed and said, "Our colony is known in Regalia as The Lost. We are more of a legend really. Personally, I'd like to call this place Amestris, stretch our imaginations, make us a state like Regalia, but noooo, we have to keep on calling it 'The Lost Colony'." Aphrodite snorted.

"Yes, well. This is it, Gregor the Overlander." laughed Aphrodite. They rose over a hill, and Gregor saw the home of the Lost. Little did he know that this place before him would be his home for the next 4 years.


	2. The Colony

A/N: Still don't own it…

Ares: And she never will. Ever. Gorim could not be here today, due to Invader ZIM being on, so I, Ares the Flier, will answer reviews. Gorim encourages reviews, because it lets her know her story is being read, and she has an odd amount of pride in it. Goodness knows why.

_Idestroyuall: _Nope. No Gluxa. Well…. Not _entirely _no Gluxa. There will be some, near the end. A little scene so Gluxa fans, like you, shall have closure.. But ultimately, it is GregorxOC, mainly because Gorim dislikes Luxa with a passion. But I promise, the girl my bond is paired is not a MarySue!

_OnEdge_: Cool. Gorim is thankful for the critique. Would you tell me how the first chapter was "choppy", so that I can tell her, so she can fix it? If it is not too much trouble, of course. Also, dying and dieing… neither are underlined in red on Microsoft Works. I suppose that is Gorim's excuse… Though she did feel kind of stupid…

_AresRocks_: Aw. Thank you! Your review ( and name!) made me smile. Alas, no alternate ending is complete without Henry; he has too many fangirls. It is sad, but that is just the way it is. If it was not that way, obviously the apocalypse is upon us. Gorim seems to believe Henry is misunderstood, and should be given a chance at redemption, if only in her mind.

Oh, and yes. I _do _rock, thank you for noticing.

**Chapter Two: The Colony**

The colony was shocking. Gregor's jaw dropped as the fliers glided over the city, which was a very adept word for it.

The colony of the lost was huge, and the population, as far as Gregor could see, varied greatly. Rats chatted with cockroaches; bats talked not only to humans, but mice and spiders as well.

But the humans were what startled Gregor the most. Some were Underlanders, others Halflanders and there were even some Overlanders mixed in. All talking to every species of life there was in the Underland.

Small stone buildings, almost like the ones Gregor had seen in pictures of the Pueblo Indians homes, stood in neat rows. Obviously these people had been here a very long time.

The place the fliers landed was at the very center of the colony, the square perhaps. The square was circular, with roads coming in all around, like the spokes on a wheel. In the exact center of the circle was a huge fire pit, where an equally huge fire crackled. People walked at a leisurely pace with baskets of fish, vegetables, and other foodstuffs.

Noah snapped at Henry as the bats landed, " Where are you getting this, 'Amestris'? Where did that come from?" She jumped off of Aphrodite, Gregor close behind her, holding Boots, staring all around him in wonder. Henry slid off of Chloe with a shrug.

"It is like… when you are day-dreaming and all of a sudden, a name pops into your head. Do you know what I mean?" He asked. Noah nodded, then said, "Nope." Henry glared, then muttered something about stupid Halflanders. Thus, a large and loud argument occurred, leaving Gregor and Boots standing and staring, wondering vaguely what to do.

"Children, please. We have some newcomers and we don't want them to think we're savages." A soft voice to Gregor's right said softly. Noah and Henry's argument ended abruptly, and both turned towards the voice. Gregor followed their gaze.

A woman, perhaps in her mid-thirties, stood in front of the fire, a bright orange bat behind her, a baby bat, who's fur was a rich velvet red, peeking out from behind the folds of her dress. The woman was obviously a Halflander, with electric blue eyes and dark hair, sharply cut at the nape of her neck. She wore the same kind of dress Kendra wore, only with longer sleeves, which made her look more severe. Her voice, however, was gentle as she took Gregor and Boots hand in either of hers.

"Greetings. I am Lyra, head member of the Central Council. It's nice to meet you. And who might you be, young ones?" She waited expectedly.

Boots cheerfully burst out, "I am Boots! I am hungry!" Gregor smiled, and shook his head, hoping she understood that he simply couldn't talk.

Apparently she did, because she turned to Henry and said, "Henry. I am told you once knew two Overlanders. Are these the ones?"

Henry looked embarrassed. "They are, Miss Lyra." He muttered. Lyra stared at Henry, waiting. Henry looked slightly confused, then realized why she was staring, and said quickly, "The little one is Boots, and the boy is Gregor the Overlander. The Warrior."

Lyra looked at Gregor seriously. "Those are some heavy names you carry, Gregor. If I may ask, I was told by a soldier we saved that you had bonded with one Ares the Flier. I was also told he was captured as well. Where is he?"

The grief of loosing his friend came crushing down on him again, and he started to cry. Boots looked up at him, shocked. Then she looked uncharacteristically grim, and sighed sadly. Lyra looked quickly from Gregor to Henry.

"Where is the flier?" She asked, her voice deadly quiet. Henry fidgeted.

"We had not the time, Miss Lyra." He said. "A great many gnawers where upon us. We could only grab who we could and fly."

Lyra did not seem satisfied with that answer, and whispered, "I want to talk to you after the feast, Boy." Henry winced, but nodded.

Lyra turned back to Gregor. "Well then. I shall introduce you and Boots to those who you shall be with." She gestured to the orange bat. "This is my flier, Ceres," she then gestured to the little bat, who was smiling shyly at Boots, "And her little son, Apollo." She then gestured to the rescue group. "You already know Henry. The Flier that accompanies him is called Chloe. The Halflander is my daughter, Noah, and her white flier, Aphrodite. Then there Kendra, the Underlander, our doctor, and her flier Gaia, who is Ares older sister."

Gregor stared at Gaia, who smiled. He had never thought of Ares having a family. He didn't know why. It had just never occurred to him that his friend had a family. He had never mentioned a sister, or parents.

Lyra continued. "We annually go to the rat pits and help those that we can. Some leave, swearing to tell no one of us. Others stay, and this is how we are so numerous." She saw the confused look on Gregor's face, and smiled. "You wonder why we wish no one knows of us. Well, for one, we have many who are like Henry. Traitors, those who were banished or sentenced to death and lived. They're all precious to us, and have renounced their ways. We don't wish for them to be killed." Gregor looked at Henry, who had moved closer to the fire, and was watching it closely, not meeting Gregor's gaze.

"Secondly," continued Lyra. "We are friendly with all species, as you must of noticed. To merge with Regalia and the Font, we would inevitably be sucked into their wars. No one wishes for wars, Gregor, even if some thrive on it." Her attention was drawn away from Gregor by Boots, who squealed in delight as Apollo lifted her on his back and flew with her, looking strained by her weight.

Lyra laughed. "It appears as though you have made a new friend, Apollo." She said with a smile. Apollo nodded cheerfully. Lyra turned back to Gregor. "Well?" She asked. "Is that all you wish to know for now?" Gregor, who's brain was scrambled with hunger, nodded, his eyes not leaving the fish that had been placed in the fire to cook.

Lyra followed his gaze and smiled. "Of course. After we eat, I shall explain more. For now," she gestured for him to sit, then for Apollo to land. "Rest."

Gorim: I'm good at updating. I hate it when authors take a long time to update, so I'll try to be quick.

Ares: Which is probably why our work has been described as "rushed".

Gorim: ... maybe. I'll work on it when I know what she meant by that. Anyway, I hope you like. The next chapter will be about Luxa, then Ripred, then we'll introduce the beloved villians, and learn more about how Henry dearest lived.

SAVE THE TREES! GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK!


	3. I Can Wait

A/N: Let's just say... I'll never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever own this gem of fiction. Okay?

Luxa: Alright, get on with it, as you Overlanders say. Due to the fact that I am awesome, I shall be replying comments. Also, Gorim says she's got some "hyper awesome" news that she feels will help more people get into her story. Anyway, I shall hurry through this and allow you to read this new chapter.

On Edge: Believe me, your critique helped Gorim a great deal. She takes her time now. And also... GregorxOC and LuxaxOC. I do not know what "puke" means, but I bet it is something bad, so I agree with you 100

Gregor: (walks over and whispers something in Luxa's ear, then turns to our beloved readers) Thank you for reading! :)

Luxa: I have just been informed that "puke" means "to vomit". I agree, On Edge. I completely agree.

Gregor:

AresRocks: Yeah, I wasn't too happy about that either. Gorim said it "adds more drama later". Or something. Yes, I'm a master at insults. Sarcasm is Gorim's strong point. If she ever uploads a comedy story (which she undoubtedly will), be prepared for some very snarky, sarcastic humor. Henry isn't misunderstood. He's crazy.

Henry: And also right here.

Luxa: OUT OF MY BUBBLE, BLACKBLOOD!

Henry: o.0 (fight ensues)

Gregor: Well, it was bound to happen at some point. Anyway, Gorim has some exciting news that she thinks will make most of her readers a great deal happier. This chapter isn't that long, so it'll be revealed at the end of the chapter.

_I Can Wait_

"Impossible!" Luxa shrieked. "Gregor cannot be dead!"

Luxa sat at the table Solovet brainstormed tactic and strategy, her hands slammed on the flat of it. She tried to hide the fact tears were tearing at the back of her throat.

"I did not say he was dead, Your Highness." The unoffending Captain said gently. "I merely stated that we only found Ares the Flier at the Rat Pits. The Overlander could…" He stopped, realizing that there was no way Gregor could be alive.

Luxa's hands curled up into fists, still pressed against the table. "Where is Ares?" She asked softly, so it would be harder for the men and women assembled in the room to hear the grief in her voice.

The look on the Captain's face softened. "In the Hospital Wing, Your Highness. He was very weak when we found him." Luxa nodded, then stalked off, past Vikus, who looked incredibly sad, past Solovet, who was stoic, past Mareth, who had tears in his eyes, to Aurora, who, as soon as Luxa jumped on her back, flew as fast as possible to the Hospital.

The Hospital, even though it was several months after the War of Time, was still packed with nibblers, humans, and fliers. It took Luxa and Aurora nearly half an hour to find Ares. And when they did, Luxa almost wished they hadn't.

He was thin. Horribly thin. Ares was always one of the largest fliers in the Underland, but now he look so small, sleeping like that.

Luxa broke down. Loosing Gregor had almost shattered her heart. Seeing Ares like this was the final strike.

She crumpled to the ground and cried.

She wasn't sure how long it took for Howard to find her and take her to a quiet place to calm down. When she broke down, it was almost as if she'd blacked out. One minute she was sobbing, the next sitting in a comfortable chair in Nerissa's favorite eating quarters. She turned towards the table; for some reason she half expected Gregor to be sitting there.

He wasn't.

Odd bits and pieces of dialogue and memories popped up in Luxa's head as it absorbed the fact that Gregor was not there, and probably never would be.

"_Everybody likes pudding."_

"_Ares the Flier, I bond to you."_

_If I'd known you were a queen, I would have said something cooler."_

"_They saved you."_

_I love you._

The one thing neither of them had said to one another. Angry words, gentle words, every kind of word except those had passed between them. The three words that should have been said, no matter what anyone else thought.

And now, those words would never, could never, be said.

"I love you." Luxa whispered, tears falling again.

"I love you."

It was too late.

After a while, Luxa wiped her eyes, got up, and resumed her Queenly manner.

_The time for grief is not now. _She reasoned. _After this war is done, I will grieve. But for now, I must help my people._

Howard walked into the room, his eyes as red as hers.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

Luxa turned and looked at him, her shoulder length hair half covering her face.

"No. But I can wait."

Ripred: Oh, the angst.

Luxa: Shush it.

Gregor: Anyway, Gorim, what did you want to say to the readers... and us?

Gorim: Well, as you know, one of my friends is a very big Gluxa fan-

Luxa: God bless her.

Gorim: And she asked me to at least TRY and make this end in a Gluxa-tastic way. So, being a good friend, I re-read some Gluxa scenes, get my iPod, and brainstorm...

AND I CAME UP WITH THE BEST GLUXA ENDING _**EVER!**_

So, this story is no longer GregorxOC, but offically Gluxa. I hope everyone is agreeable.

Gregor and Luxa: YES! (dances together)

Gorim: Tune in tomorrow for the special Ripred chapter. Learn how Ripred fares. It is in Ripred's POV, btw.

Ripred: Yes... read it. Or I'll sic the Bane on you.

Bane: ...?

Gorim: I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I'm not very good at writing grief. Or angst. Or Luxa. This chapter was just hard, so there's bound to be some yuckyness about it. By the way, the last line "But I can wait." is Luxa saying she's not okay, but she can wait to feel sorry for herself about it. It seemed a rather Luxa-ish thing to do; push her personal grief to the side to help her people.


	4. Will We Fight?

A/N. Feh. You know.

Ripred: Yes. We do. Here today, we have me, the awesome Ripred, reading comments. Enjoy.

idestroyuall: Ah, yes. I'm sure everyone will be much happier now that it's "Gluxa" as you all have labeled it.

On Edge: I believe Gorim explained why it was short. It's because she's bad at writing things like that and, rather then go overboard and almost certainly make dear Luxa OOC, she just cut it short. Better short than terrible, yes?

AresRocks: Yes, Gorim is very good at writing angst. Henry won't be reading comments. He will participate in the first half overview, just like everyone else, however. But, I promise we'll make sure he won't talk much.

Well, I think that about sums it up.

Gorim: One quick thing. After I wrote this chapter, I realized that is was just as short as the last one, and since there are so many Ripred fans, I made it longer be merging it with the chapter that was going to introduce the villians. This entire chapter was kind of hard. Ripred had to make good political speeches, and I don't think his is very good. Lapblood's speech physically hurt me to write out, because I know it's not good. Luxa's little part wasn't too hard, but I couldn't draw it out. And introducing Kain was hard because I wasn't sure what his motive was.

Now I'm more sure. Both of the villians want power, but for different reasons. Ripclaw wants it for himself; Kain honestly thinks he's doing the right thing, the only problem is, he and his flier are crazy.

Ripred: That wasn't quick.

Gorim: Anywho, I'm sorry about this chapter. I've kinda been out of it. I promise tomorrow's will be better.

I also will be posting a Gluxa fluff story either today or tomorrow. Probably today, to make up for this chapter. I know it's bad... I'm painfully aware of it.

_Will We Fight?_

"For months," Ripred said in a quiet, but carrying whisper, "we've tried negotiating. Four months have passed since that brat Luxa said she'd "think about it." And what answer have we gotten, after all these months?" He looked out over the hundreds of Gnawers assembled in the cave, who's tails twitched in outrage.

"'No.'" Ripred said. "That was the answer. "'No, we no longer want you here.' After we fought by their side; after we _died_ fighting the same opponent, we are told to scram." Ripred started to pace, his tail flicking angrily. "Some, like our dear friend Silverclaw," he sneered, looking pointedly at the young, sliver female rat standing near the platform, who's own tail was snapping. "They seem to think we only need to hold out longer, negotiate more. Well, you know what I think?" Ripred turned to the assembled rats, his eyes flashing. "I think we need to fight!"

"Hear, hear!" cried the young red rat Ripclaw, who stood close to Sliverclaw, his sister. She looked at him in disgust.

Ripred nodded at Ripclaw, then turned back to the crowd, who were now talking, some yelling their agreement, others pleading for a peaceful way to resolve this new humiliation. "I hear your cries. Some of you think we can still solve this with peace. I too, held that hope. Believe me, starting a new war, if on a smaller scale, was never my first choice. But it looks at though it'll have to be done, if we want to be heard."

"But," said Sliverclaw, her clear voice commanding attention just as much as Ripred's did. "A problem won with violence will only lead to a more violent reaction. What, do you suppose, we do when the Humans come back? With more people, and more weapons?" Her followers, the ones that cried for peace, yelled their agreement. Others yelled that she was deluded.

Ripred considered his answer.

"Then we will fight back again." He said.

The crowd reacted explosively, as did the platform with the leading rats. Sliverclaw shrieked that that would only cause more harm. Ripclaw yelled his agreement, as did the majority of the crowd. Sliverclaw winced. Numerous atrocities still burned clear in their minds, as did the bloodlust from this most recent war.

Lapblood sighed. "Will we fight again," she asked quietly. "When the blood from the War of Time still dries?" The crowd didn't hear her, but Ripred and Sliverclaw did. Ripred frowned, while Sliverclaw nodded in agreement.

"I suppose you have a point, Lapblood." Ripred muttered. The din in the cave died down. "But, which is better? Dieing in the Uncharted Lands, hungry with no light, or dieing fighting for our honor?"

There was a roar of agreement, but Lapblood's voice cut through them like a knife.

"Death is death. It doesn't matter how it happens. What is the difference between dieing fighting and dieing in the dark? The only difference is how you feel about it.. Don't go making this out as if it's new, Ripred, when it's the same thing that's been happening since the humans came to the Underland." She cast a disdainful look at the crowd, who stared at her. "Call me back to this when it becomes less nauseating." And with that, she left.

Ripred watched her go unemotionally. After a few moments, he turned back to the silent crowd.

"It's your call." He said. "I can't force you to come. You can go with Sliverclaw if you want. But," his eyes flashed again. "I will fight. I'll fight Her Highness Queen Luxa. I'll fight the humans, for the sake of Gnawers as a whole. Because," he stood at full height. "I'm sick of it."

The noise was enough to make your eardrums burst. Almost all the rats there roared in agreement. Others turned to Sliverclaw.

In the background, Ripclaw leaned against the wall of the cave, his eyes glinting, watching Ripred closely as the older rat continued with his speech. There was no doubt in his mind that Ripred would die. Soon. Certainly not today or tomorrow, but soon. And when that time came, he, Ripclaw, would take over. He'd heard Ripred's strategy ideas; heard his tactics. And whether Ripred knew it or not, Ripclaw knew.

_I know you don't really want to fight. _Ripclaw thought. _You think you do. You're angry enough. But you don't want to fight. _The very thought of it made his tail twitch in disgust. _He's gotten too close to that brat Luxa and those old geezers Vikus and Solovet. He simply can't take this seriously._

A roar of agreement came, once again, to something Ripred said.

_So I'll wait. I'll wait as you gain followers, wait as you become more respected. Wait as I become more respected. _He smirked. _Then I'll take over._

_I can wait._

Kail watched the newcomers closely. The boy and the toddler. The boy was the Warrior, the toddler the Princess. They would only bring more bad things to the colony. Everyone knew it.

Then why was Lyra letting them stay?

Kail had been the head of the colony before she was saved. Everything had been going quite smoothly. But now Lyra played on the hearts of his people; talking about the men, women, children and fliers in those pits. Kail made the mistake of saying that those people weren't their problem.

The people revolted. They kicked him out of the position he'd had for decades, and gave it to Lyra. Lyra, the do-gooder. Lyra, the one who was going to, with her rash decisions, kill the colony. And Kail knew that bringing this Rager and his little sister into the colony was only going to make it come quicker.

Why didn't anyone else realize it, yet?

They kept saying that they were just children; that they couldn't possibly do any harm. But they hadn't heard the stories. The stories about how that boy killed the dreaded Bane very nearly single-handed. About how the girl was practically worshipped by the Crawlers.

About how it was precious Gregor's fault the Bane even existed to make a war.

Oh, the Regalians could explain it very well.

"_Oh, we were wrong, Gregor WAS NOT supposed to kill the Bane. It is quite obvious once you look at it."_

Kail had to do something. Lyra was leeching out his people, replacing them with not only nibblers, but gnawers and crawlers as well. He would have to get rid of Lyra at some point, as well as all those who stood in his way, like Noah, Henry, and their fliers.

He said his plan to his flier, Echo. She thought about it, then whispered, "I always thought you were the better leader, my friend. But Henry, Noah and their fliers will not be the only hurdles in your plan."

"I do not know what you mean, Echo." He said, confused.

Echo gave a sidelong glance at Lyra, who was sitting next to Gregor as Miranda, a old deaf woman, taught him sign language. "The Overlanders will, undoubtedly, become greater obstacles as they grow. I think it would be best to plan their deaths as well, should the need arise."

Kail thought about that, and nodded. "You are right, my friend. And, if the time comes, I will be ready. But for now…" He glanced at the Gregor, who successfully communicated a greeting to Lyra. "We will wait."

Solovet stood before the Council, pleading her cause. Vikus stood next to her, looking exhausted, but fighting nonetheless.

"The Gnawers have divided into factions. One wishes to fight. I say, we meet their challenge!" Solovet said. Her voice rang loudly in the quiet room, and several people shouted, "Hear hear!"

"But," said Vikus. "Others wish for peace, Solovet. What of them? How will we know who is who? To declare war on one faction could be twisted into a war on all Gnawers, which is not something we want."

Luxa sat at one of the tables, listening to her grandparents squabble. She knew where she stood. She'd known since she'd found the hundreds of mice dead in Hades Hall. She'd known since she'd seen nibblers from the Jungle, her friends, die before her eyes.

She knew since Gregor disappeared.

The call for a vote came. Half voted for more negotiations, half voted for a declaration of war. As is often the case, the fate of many rested on one persons shoulders.

Luxa.

Luxa raised her hand and said, "I vote for the declaration of war."

Vikus's shoulders slumped. Solovet beamed triumphantly, and said in a loud voice that carried over the cries of triumph and protest.

"We are now at war with the Ripred Faction."

Gorim: Gah. This is bad. The next chapter's about Henry.


	5. Henry's Story

A/N. Should I still bother with this?

Howard: Well, since everyone else is either gearing up for tomorrows major collective story overview, I suppose I will read the two comments.

On Edge: As in, you hate the character, or... You hate the Character? I apologize, that does not make sense. Do you hate Ripclaw as the character, or the character in general? Gorim is still quite sure that her speeches were not good, but she appreciates your compliments.

idestoryuall: Evil Ripred is frightening to me. No, the time skip happens after this chapter. Gregor and Luxa are still 12 in this chapter, and all chapters before this.

I am not quite certain why Gregor stays in the Colony. Perhaps he simply felt unconciously safer there, or that he was more needed? I am not quite sure.

_Henry's Story_

_This takes place at the end of the Gray Quest. _

Henry was falling very fast, but he wasn't worried.

_My bond will catch me._ He thought.

Sure enough, Ares flew down the pit as fast as a comet. Henry waited, but was shocked when Ares flew past him.

_He overshot. _Henry thought vaguely. But he was wrong.

Ares flew back up, with the Overlander on his back, not looking back.

Henry watched them fly up. If the look on his cousins face didn't clue him in of the enormousness of what he'd done, his bond's actions did. All that he'd done came back to him.

_I tried to kill Ripred._

_I tried to kill Gregor._

_I sided with the rats._

_I deserve this._

So he closed his eyes and waited for death.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, he felt the sensation of rising, and soft fur under his hands. He sat up quickly, hope blossoming again.

"Ares?" He said. But no. This wasn't Ares. This flier was too small, and its fur wasn't velvety black, but a light, cinnamon-y brown.

The flier turned its head, its light brown eyes studying Henry curiously.

"I do not know who this 'Ares' is. But I am Chloe. I apologize if this disappoints you." Oh, wonderful. Not only had Henry confused the flier with Ares, the flier was female.

"No. I am sorry. I thought… you were someone else…" His voice trailed off to a whisper near the end. Chloe shrugged, which almost knocked Henry off, she was so small.

"Obviously. But it is of little consequence." She continued to carry him farther and farther from the pit, from his cousin; his bond. Well, he supposed Ares wasn't his bond anymore. The flier, no doubt, didn't want him. Not that Henry didn't deserve it.

"Why did you save me?" Asked Henry quietly. Chloe was silent for a second, then answered.

"Because I had to." Henry blinked in surprise.

"Had to?" He repeated, confused.

"Yes." She said, taking a sharp turn down into a tunnel, once again nearly throwing off Henry. She laughed. "You must hold on, young man, or you will fall."

Henry realized that, obviously. "By the way," he said. "I am Henry." Chloe nodded, and continued to concentrate on the path.

Henry and Chloe flew in silence for awhile. Henry, unable to help himself, finally broke it. "May I ask where you are taking me?"

Chloe glanced back at him. "You may."

Henry waited in silence as Chloe turned back to the flight. "Can you tell me?" He asked again, slightly confused.

"I could." Chloe said, with a tinge of impatience that confused Henry even more. Finally, after another awkward silence (at least it was for Henry), Chloe sighed and said, "The first question was whether I _would _tell you; the second whether I _could _tell you. You never asked the question directly."

Henry stared for a second, then said, "Well, that has got to be some of the most annoying logic I have ever heard." Chloe laughed, and Henry said, "Where are you taking me?"

"Now we are getting somewhere." Chloe said with a grin. "I am taking you to the colony of Lost."

Henry burst out laughing. "C-colony of Lost?!" He choked out. "There is no such place."

Chloe shot him a rather annoyed look, then nodded to something ahead. "Then what is that?"

Henry's jaw dropped.

The place was huge. Not as big as Regalia, but suitably large. Large enough to be a city. The houses were crude, and made of some thin type of stone. They were all square-shaped, with flat roofs and cloth doors. He noticed it was a warmer here, and guessed that they were somewhere near the Jungle, or the Firelands.

The city held thousands. Henry saw, for the first time in his life, people with hair of every color. The silver-blonde of the Underlanders dominated, but all over there were red, black, yellow-blonde, and brown heads. Crawlers roamed around; fliers flew past, greeting them. Nibblers chatted with Halflanders. And Gnawers talked to humans.

"There are Gnawers down there!" Henry cried out in shock.

"Yes." Said Chloe, sounding amused. "All are welcome here. Do not worry. They will not bite. Hard." Henry looked at her in shock as she landed in the circular center of the city. There, standing next to the cooking fire, was a tall, dark-haired woman. Her skin was the same as any of the people Henry had ever seen, but her hair and eyes were completely different. Her dark hair was tied back in a short pony-tail; her electric blue eyes studied him as he dismounted Chloe.

Henry looked around the square. People were cooking their food at the fire, probably because it was too warm to do so in their own homes. Sitting next to the fire, an older Underlander man with a blood-red flier stared at them suspiciously. He stared openly back at them, rather disturbed. Chloe followed his gaze.

"Oh, do not worry about Kain and Nyx." She whispered into his ear. "They are suspicious of all who are saved. They both have been against bringing more people here since Miss Lyra came."

Henry looked at Chloe questioningly. "Who is Lyra?" He asked.

"I am." The odd looking woman walked over to them, her hand held out for Henry to shake. "I am the leader of the Lost. You must be Henry. Chloe called to my flier Ceres, and told me how she found you." She looked at him questioningly. "What happened?"

Henry started from the beginning. Meeting the Overlanders, the quest, trying to kill Ripred, betraying his friends, his bond, his family.

"And that is when Chloe appeared." He finished.

Lyra stared at him for a long time, then asked, "Do you regret it?"

Henry started. Did he?

"Yes." He whispered, his voice caught in his throat.

Lyra watched him wipe his eyes, then said, "Then you shall stay here."

Henry looked up at her in shock. "But, I betrayed those who I loved most!" He protested. "I should die for such an act."

Lyra stared at him, then said quietly, "Would you rather die, or wait for a chance at redemption?" Henry blinked.

"I would love to redeem myself, but there is simply no way. To go back to Regalia means death. And none of my friends will accept my apologies, I know it."

Lyra smiled. "I remember my father." She said. "He was an Overlander, and a reverend, a man of God. He lived during the time of the Great Depression, World War II, and during the great civil rights upheaval. I know you may not know what those are, but believe me, they were of great importance. Before he died, he said to me that, if you make a grave mistake, which yours surely is, then God will always give you a chance at redemption."

Henry remembered his grandfather Vikus telling him about how, in the days of old, religion was a central point in the lifestyle of man. Down in the Underland, it wasn't. It's not that they didn't believe in a higher power, they simply didn't have the time to devote to prayer.

_We were too busy fighting. _He thought bitterly.

"Then," Henry started. "With this second chance I have been given, I shall seek this second chance. And if that means to stay here, so be it."

Lyra smiled. "Wonderful." She said cheerfully. "Then you shall stay here."

Henry smiled.

Months passed. Days blended together. Henry became trusted. He became tight with the flier that saved his life, Chloe. He often led recon and rescue missions into the rat pits, which were nearby. He met Kendra, who held his heart from the moment they met. He met Noah and Aphrodite, who were both born in the colony. Soon Gaia was saved from the rat pits, and she and Kendra became close and bonded in record time.

Then there was an explosion.

Everyone ran out, Gnawer, Flier, Crawler, Nibbler and human, and stared at the huge, bright column of golden light coming from the Firelands.

The incident from the Firelands frightened everyone. Though no one mentioned it after it happened, the sight of that column of lava was seared in everyone's minds.

Soon after that, an evil smell came from the Firelands. The sounds of battle were carried by the wind. The colonists became even more frightened.

But Lyra, being Lyra, announced that the rescue mission was to go as planned.

"After all," She said. "Will a little fear stop us from saving those in need?"

And so, Henry, Chloe, Noah, Aphrodite, Kendra, and Gaia all went to the pits.

And found Gregor, Boots and Ares.

-- --

_Henry's POV_

I stared at Gregor and Boots as they ate. Seeing them opened a door that I wished would stay closed forever. One that brought back memories of my own betrayal.

I had a bad feeling that I was going to have some nightmares tonight.

-- --

And so, four years passed…

-- --

Gorim: And, so ends the first half of That Which Is Lost. Tomorrow the characters and I will have a conference to discuss the previous chapters, and possible chapters yet to come. Please tune in!


	6. Reunited, But Still Apart

A/N. Yup.

Gregor: Okay, so here it is. The first chapter in the second half of That Which is Lost. Gorim says that she apologizes for not posting the confrence transcript, but it ended up not only being very boring, but also, her computer crashed! And she didn't save it! Not only that, but, due to typing so much, she got a bad crick in her shoulder that is, according to the medical site, the equivalent of a Charlie Horse. So... yeah. Not her best Friday. But she did get a B- on her science test! So, YAY!

idestroyuall: Nope, no more GregorxOC. In fact, due to that no longer being the case, Noah will barely in this story at all! It's kind of sad.

On Edge: XD Yeah, Ripclaw's an ass. And, yes, it was Gorim's intention to make him like that. Basically, Ripclaw's a power-hungry jerk.

Emerald Lockett: Gorim asks you to just tell her what you think. You don't have to send a review (Gorim and Emerald Lockett are friends that go to the same school).

Moonlight's Best Friend: Ripred's too cool to go mad. He's just pissed off. It doesn't surprise me that Ripred is so beloved. Readers of books, viewers of movies and TV series, and players of games all love the sarcastic characters. Sarcasm is the best. Gorim updates every day, though she had to take Friday off. :)

AresRocks: Seriously.

_Reunited, but still apart_

Gregor the Overlander and Apollo the Flier were hopelessly lost.

_Some Recon mission, _thought Gregor bitterly. No one knew where the pits were; the rats had moved since they'd last done their rescue mission. "_Find the pits and Recon them"_ Henry had said. What a joke.

It had been 4 years since Gregor and Boots had been saved by Henry, Noah, Kendra and their fliers, and since then both Gregor and Boots, or Margaret as she preferred to be called now, had found their niches. Gregor went with Henry on Recon and Rescue missions. Boots (Gregor could never call Boots Margaret) had been taken under Lyra's wing, and was being trained to be the next leader of the Colony, and every one was fine with that, with a few exceptions. Kain and Echo.

But despite Kain and Echo's initial distrust, Gregor would like to think that he and Echo had become friends. He'd learned about Echo's past from her own lips, and they were very nearly identical.

"My bond Cassandra and I had been captured by the rats. When we were saved, the group only had enough time to save me," Echo was quiet for a second, then whispered, "I do not know if my bond lives or dies." Both were quiet for a second, then Gregor signed, -_It's the same for me. I do not know if Ares is alive or dead. The rats were so close when Henry took me.- _Echo laughed. "You still refuse to say rescue, eh Gregor?" Gregor shrugged. Echo smiled sadly. "Taking Kain as my bond makes it seem as though I have given up on Cassandra."

So Gregor refused to bond to another bat. If Ares was dead, he wouldn't. If Ares was alive, he couldn't. So he never did.

He and Apollo were close, but it was obvious who Apollo would bond with. Boots. They'd been together since day one, talking in their baby talk, then slowly growing older, more mature. Boots was very, very mature for her age, and talked like an Underlander, never using contractions unless she had no time to talk.

"Really, Gregor. You should go now," she'd said hurriedly when he'd tried to talk to her before he left. "We are all rather busy right now."

What they were busy on was something they'd been busy on since before Gregor and Boots had been saved.

TheGarden of the Hesperides had been close to the colony, and when the dike broke, the flood pushed a great deal of the rich soil close to the colony. People though that, if they could figure out how to get water to the field, they could grow apple trees. So everyone did their best to figure out how to make it so the water from the stream could get to the field, since the field was on the opposite side of the city.

Gregor had no idea what was so important about apples.

Gregor was snapped out of his reverie by Apollo, who's head jerked.

"There is a battle up ahead, Gregor." He said. "Gnawers and humans. It is not very large." Gregor frowned.

Apollo's main vice was curiosity. Gregor soon found himself hovering over the battle.

Just as Apollo had said, a small group of humans were battle a small group of Gnawers. It looked as though the Gnawers were winning.

Gregor's eyes looked all over the small group… and stopped at one person.

Apollo felt his friend tense. "What is it, Gregor?" He asked, turning his head to look at him. Gregor was staring at someone on the battlefield. Apollo followed his gaze.

A young woman was desperately fighting a red rat, a rat who was huge. Apollo had heard of the rat factions. Not much, but he'd heard of them, and he knew this wasn't the second-in-command of Ripred's faction. Ripclaw was supposed to be covered in scars; this rat wasn't.

The young woman was barely holding on. She had obviously been in the battle for a long time, and was covered with wounds. Then Apollo noticed a glint of gold on her head. A golden crown.

"The queen!" He said in shock. "What is the Queen doing in this fight? Were they ambushed?"

The rat Luxa was fighting kicked her in the stomach, and knocked the sword from her hand. A golden bat shrieked as the rat brought down his claw.

Apollo suddenly felt the load on his back become a great deal lighter… and saw Gregor leap from his back, take out his sword, and bring it down on the red rat.

The entire battlefield went silent. Rats, humans, and fliers stared in shock. Luxa lifted her head, got up from her knees, and whispered, "Gregor?"

--

This Gregor was not the one Luxa remembered. He was taller, stronger. His hair was longer. And he was covered in scars.

There were many, some on the exposed skin of the arm, others on his legs. The unfamiliar scars mingled with the ones that Luxa knew. The ones from the Kraken, the ones from the jungle vines, the ones from the cutters.

But one stood out. Obviously from a rat, a long, thin scar marred his face, from one cheekbone, across the bridge of his nose to the other cheekbone.

_What have you been doing? _Luxa wanted to cry. _Where have you been?_ But she was silent, staring at the face that, though barely recognizable, held a smile that was full of love.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by another rat, who ran up behind Gregor and slashed at his side. The claws connected, ripping out three good sized wounds. Whirled around, making a swing that was clumsy with pain. But the rat was already taken care of.

A large auburn bat had picked the rat up, carried him a few dozen feet off the ground, and dropped him with a smirk. The rat fell to its death.

The few rats left took one look at the newly arrived pair, and bolted. The large auburn bat landed next to Gregor, looking worried. Gregor made a few feeble hand gestures. The bat looked extremely unconvinced, but turned away from Gregor and took a long look at Luxa.

"Greetings," he said. "I am he called Apollo, and I am a friend of Gregor. You must be Queen Luxa. It's an honor to meet you at last. Gregor and Margaret have said so much about you."

This speech startled Luxa. "Margaret?" She asked, confused. "Who is Margaret?"

"I believe she was once called Boots," the bat said. Luxa nodded.

"Gregor," she said softly, having completely forgotten the half-dozen men, women, and fliers all around her and her long-lost love, watching. "Where have you been?"

Gregor looked at her helplessly, but before he could do anything, another bat coasted down. This one was a great deal smaller than Apollo, and was a light cinnamon brown. Gregor looked from the bat to Luxa in horror, then made frantic hand gestures to the flier.

The flier looked at him, confused, as the rider jumped off.

"Gregor, where have you-" the man cut off, staring at Luxa.

Luxa stared back, and the whole battlefield's jaw dropped. Gregor slapped his hand on his forehead, and Apollo winced. The brown flier bit its lip.

"Henry." Hissed Luxa. "Henry."

Henry stared at Luxa, looking terrified. Then he turned to Gregor, looking slightly hysterical. "Well, Gregor, I found you. And it has been nice knowing you!" And with that, Henry made a mad dash for cover.

Gregor watched in shock as several soldiers tackled Henry and dragged him back to Luxa. She looked very pale.

"Guards," she said coolly. "Place this man, the Overlander, and their fliers under arrest for treason."


	7. It Would Have Been Better

Gorim: Howdy all. I'm here, answering reviews by myself for the first time. But first, here are some...

TALES OF GORIM'S FAMILY!

Funny things that me family said, since this chapter has absolutely no funnies whatsoever.

Today, my whole immeadiate family, me, my dad, my mom, and my little brother and sister, went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. While we were waiting for our food, Dad and Izzy, my little sister, had a coloring contest with the crayons and the kids menus they'd gotten. At first Dad colored it outside the lines, but Izzy was all, "Dad! Color right!" So then he started drawing inside the lines, and colored in little rosy cheeks for the girl. Then he drew a line of blue under her eye, and made a little lines of blood come from the corner of her mouth. Mom noticed and was like, "Stop drawing the gross details." and he said, "The boy was beating her up." Then he made it look at though the boy's head was on fire, and he said, "She got her revenge."

Needless to say, I was laughing my head off.

Anyway, here are the comment replies.

AresRocks: Read this chapter, and you'll find out why.

On Edge: Wow... That's awesome. I've come to trust you to give out truthful comments, so I really appreciate your compliment. Echo's a chick, and she was being truthful.

LikeYouShouldKnow: Well, she did the same thing during the Curse of Warmbloods Quest. She's just being silly. She'll come around eventually. She's just... delicate right now.

Well, that's that. Enjoy!

_It Would Have Been Better...  
_

Gregor looked at Luxa in shock as his hands were tied behind his back. Henry seemed almost unnaturally calm, as did Chloe. Apollo, however, lost it.

"Are you out of your minds?!" He yelled as his wings were pinned to his sides by ropes. "We just saved your life, you brat!" Gregor shook his head desperately, but with no luck. Apollo didn't even glance at him.

Luxa glared angrily. "Then what are you doing, Overlander? In the company of a traitor?" Gregor looked at her helplessly. Oh, how he wished he could tell her.

Luxa turned away from him. Gregor hung his head in shame as he was dragged on top of another bat, Henry behind him.

"I will explain, if you wish!" Snapped Apollo. Luxa turned, her eyebrow raised questioningly. "Four years ago, Henry, Noah, Kendra, and their fliers saved Boots and Gregor from certain insanity. They have been at the colony ever since. Gregor is not with Henry. Henry is just good now."

Now Luxa just looked confused. "Noah? Kendra? Colony?" Gregor wondered whether she'd even care about the story anymore if Apollo mentioned the colony of Lost.

"Noah is a Halflander. Kendra is our doctor. The Colony of Lost." Apollo said, answering each question brusquely. Luxa's eyes hardened.

"'Colony of Lost'?" She said. "There is no such place." And with that, she turned away from them.

Apparently she wouldn't.

Luxa paid them no attention as they flew. Henry sat miserably behind Gregor; Apollo struggled against his bonds, all the while muttering about revenge. Not exactly the best thing to mutter about. Gregor noticed that Chloe was craning her head on another bat, and followed her gaze. She was trying to look at a compass.

She stared at the compass for a second, then, with a wink at Gregor, slipped easily out of her bonds. Luxa whirled around, shocked, as Chloe flew south, towards the colony.

"I shall get help, everyone!" She yelled. "There shall be no way to convict you once I get Lyra!"

Two of the bats flew after her, their riders unsheathing their swords. Henry looked horrified.

"Call them off!" He yelled to Luxa, but she ignored him. But, as it turned out, he needn't have bothered. Chloe, being so small, simply dodged every single one of their thrusts, and flew farther and farther away, into the blackness.

Luxa stared off into the dark after the flier, then shrugged.

"It does not matter. This land is uncharted by fliers." She said, and they started off again.

"Your Highness," Apollo said, a great deal less angry than he had been. "Why were you fighting those Gnawers back there? I mean, besides the obvious reason." Henry snorted, but no one else seemed amused.

"We were searching for their new location of the rat pits, and got ambushed." She said curtly, and paid no more attention to him.

"What do you know? That is what Gregor and I were trying to do! You see, every couple of months, Miss Lyra wants us to go and help people in the pits, but this time they moved. Henry made us go and look for it, because he is a lazy lump, and we got very lost. Let us see, what happened next? Oh yes! We found you all; Gregor saved your life; then Henry showed up and you put us all under arrest for treason for no apparent reason."

If Gregor could, he would have pinched the bridge of his nose. Apollo could be incredibly dense sometimes.

Luxa turned slowly around to stare at Apollo. Everyone was quiet. Then she spoke.

"Five years ago, Henry betrayed me. Because of him, Ares was distrusted for months, which probably lead to him becoming sick with the plague. So many horrible things have happened to Nerissa, to me, to our friends, because of what he did." Apollo was silent, looking a bit ashamed. "And then I come to trust Gregor. And a year after that, he vanishes. And now, four years later, he appears with the one who betrayed me and Ares and Aurora so many years ago. What, precisely, do you expect me to do, Apollo?"

Apollo was silent. Luxa turned away, and the rest of the flight was in silence.

As the bats coasted into the High Hall of the Regalian Palace, Vikus walked up.

"Luxa, did you fi-" he stopped, staring in shock at the faces of Gregor and Henry.

"No, Vikus. I did not. Guards! Take these men and fliers to the dungeons!" Henry and Gregor were dragged off of the flier and taken to towards the dungeons. Gregor noticed that the High Hall was filled with fliers. Maybe, just maybe.

He searched the air above him. There were hundreds of fliers, all staring at Henry and Gregor in alarm. But he didn't see the one he was looking for.

_Ares._

He wanted to scream. Maybe it was the rager inside of him, the one that he'd, after nearly four years of fighting, finally mastered, rising up again, pushing out of his control. But he wanted to scream. He was desperate to let these people know that he wasn't betraying them. He wanted to yell for Ares, to at least know he was alive. And he wanted to yell at Luxa. Ask her why she was doing this; why it was so hard for any of them to believe that there was a Colony of Lost.

_Why is it so easy to believe in Sandwich and his stupid prophecies, and not in the Colony of Lost?! _He wanted to scream. But he couldn't. It was physically impossible.

Luxa followed the guards down into the dungeon. Gregor and Henry were both thrown into the same cell, Apollo was carried to another.

Luxa stood in the doorway, her hand on the door, her eyes violet agates.

Gregor stared back, and, though he would probably never know it, his eyes were filled with love.

Luxa's face softened for a second. She closed her eyes, a painful hurricane of memories flying at her.

Then she opened her eyes. They were hard again.

"It would have been better," she whispered. "If none of us had ever met."

Then she shut the door, leaving a grief-stricken Gregor in the complete darkness.

Gorim: Oh my god. Luxa, what have you done. Over-doing it, much? Well... I guess I can see were you're coming from, but still...

By the way, all the others are watching my brother play Fable, so they couldn't be here.

Wow... I surprised myself, writing that last part.

Don't worry though! She'll come around!


	8. No Time To Waste

Gorim: Stupid family... having cool game systems... Nobody's here... YET AGAIN.

On Edge: Wow... I'm flattered. Thank you so much. Yeah, good critique-y reviews are very good for honest writers. Reviews that go something like this...

"OMG! LOL! That was so awesome! UPDATE!" ... Not so much...

AresRocks: Yesh... Luxa's being... delicate, today. A bit... PMS-y, no?

Lustblood: Thank you! XD "BURN!" Seriously.

LikeYouShouldKnow: :) Yes. Yes you are. Congratulations.

idestroyuall: Every day, pal. Every day.

_No Time To Waste_

Margaret, or Boots, stared at Henry's irrigation plan in complete disbelief. He wanted to carve an artificial river through the city! What kind of idiot was that man?

"There is no way," she muttered. "No way." Pollux, a large gray bat, looked over her shoulder.

"It could work." He muttered. "Perhaps… We could use one of the streets. We surely do not need so many streets. We could just build some bridges." Margaret stared at him.

"There is no way." She said firmly. "No one would ever agree to it. It's too much work." She scooped up the dozens of scrolls on the collapsible desk in front of her, muttering, "How is it that a seven year-old has more brains than a twenty year-old, _and _a flier architect?" Pollux glared.

"That was uncalled for, Margaret." He said accusingly. Margaret sighed.

"I apologize, Pollux. I am just anxious." Pollux's face cleared in sudden understanding.

"Ah, I see. Because Gregor, Apollo, Henry and Chloe have not returned." He said. Margaret shrugged.

"Eh. Not so much Henry. But everyone else, yes." Pollux grinned.

Margaret tied back her thick, dark brown curly hair, straightened her rose colored dress, and went to work sketching.

"Well, if we are going to propose Henry's idea to the council, we might as well make it look half-way decent. No one will ever agree to that," she pointed disgustedly at the drawing Henry made, which, admittedly, looked like a five year-old's.

"Art was never Henry's strong point." said Pollux, looking amused. Then his face darkened, staring at the slight, genius girl standing in front of him. _She's grown up to quickly. _He thought sadly. _Yes, she's much smarter than the average seven year-old, but that hardly gives reason to forcing this child to grow up so fast._

Margaret turned, looking at him questioningly. "Well, my friend? Are you going to help me make this look plausible, or stare at the back of my head?" She said, a grin appearing on her face. All of a sudden, she looked like the seven year-old she undoubtedly would have been, had the very first trip to the Underland never occurred. Pollux snickered.

"Of course, little one. Let us get right on it."

As Pollux fluttered over to the desk to stand beside Margaret, Chloe suddenly crash-landed into it, skidding across the stone square, shocking everyone in the vicinity.

"Chloe!" Pollux gasped. "Does something ail you? Where is Apollo? And Gregor and Henry?" Chloe straightened, heaving for air for a few seconds, then whirled around to face the startled pair.

"Where is Miss Lyra?!" She choked out. Margaret pointed towards the tall, perfectly smooth, rectangular structure 100 yards away.

"She is talking to the council about the irrigation plan. But, Chloe, where is everyone?" Margaret asked, a thousand different terrible situations emerging in her brain.

But Chloe only shook her head, and flew as fast as she could towards the structure, flying through a large open window. There were several startled cries, clearly audible from the place Pollux and Margaret stood.

Margaret leapt onto Pollux's back, and they both followed Chloe into the Council Hall.

Chloe was sitting in the center of the hall, everyone staring at her, Ceres patting her on the back comfortingly.

"What has happened?" Lyra asked urgently. "Where is everyone else?" Out of the corner of her eye, Margaret saw Echo and Kain, both sitting in their spots on the council. Echo looked honestly concerned, while Kain just looked curious, and impatient.

"The Regalian Queen…" Chloe managed to get out. "Gregor saved her. Then Henry and I showed up, and you know what he did to her." Lyra nodded grimly. "S-she put us all under arrest for treason. I managed to get away by keeping my wings slightly open when they tied me up, but everyone else… they were headed for Regalia." Chloe looked at the council, and Lyra, pleadingly. "Please. Please go and tell them that Gregor has not betrayed them, and that Henry has renounced his ways. I do not believe any of the Regalians will be sympathetic, or believe them when they say were they have been."

Lyra nodded, then turned to the council. "I shall go, and testify for our friends. Does anyone else wish to come along?" Margaret raised her hand sharply.

"I wish to, Miss Lyra." She said. Lyra turned to her and nodded. Pollux raised his wing slightly.

"I shall go as well, to carry Margaret." Lyra smiled, and nodded.

Kain and Echo both stood. "We shall go as well, Lyra." Said Kain. Lyra looked at him questioningly, then nodded.

"Well then. Ceres. Let us make haste. I doubt we have very much time to waste here."

Gorim: For some reason, this isn't as long as I would have hoped. Well, I hope I got the point across. The next chapter is The Trial! DUN DUN DUUUUN! (I'm very, very hyper today. By the way, AIA, if you read this, you should totally continue on Underland Survivor. It's hilarious!)


	9. Betrayed?

Gorim: Ripred's part is kind of awkward. I apologize for this taking a few hours longer than usual, but I couldn't think of anything good. Ripred might be slightly OOC. I apologize for that too. But do keep in mind that he's been fighting for four years against someone he never wanted to fight, fighting for something he doesn't even agree with. Plus, he's old. Not that old, but old. Nerissa's, what, 18, and he did say that when he tried to conquer the Fount with an army of lobsters, it was years before she was born. Plus, I assume you'd have to be pretty experienced to try something that stupid and not be shot down on the spot by others. So, I'd guess 40's or 50's for him. And that's pretty old.

idestroyuall: I love Boots. I definitely want to write more about her later. I wish I could write more about each character; they've got so much back-story.

LikeYouShouldKnow: "The Cabbage Patch"?

On Edge: Yeah, something wasn't quite right with the most recent chapter. I'm not sure what, exactly.

Anyway, enjoy. :)

_Betrayed?_

Ripred had come to a conclusion

Wars have no meaning.

For four years, he'd been leading a huge group of Gnawer rebels against the Regalian Queen, Luxa. In the beginning, he had almost completely agreed with all the speeches he'd been giving. Almost. But deep down inside, there was that grain of sensibility that kept muttering, "This is the kind of stuff that killed your family. The stuff you're doing right now."

And that grain kept growing. Growing and growing… Until, finally, he couldn't stand it anymore.

He had to call it off. This whole stupid charade had gone on long enough. He didn't know how he was going to do it; there was still a sizable amount of rats who agreed with "him". But he had to.

Maybe Sliverclaw had had it right all this time. What had she said before? "A victory using violence will only spur a more violent reaction." Something like that. At the time, he'd been too blinded by humiliation and the need for revenge to listen. But now he'd calmed down sufficiently to realize that his second-in-command's sister was right. What had been accomplished by this whole thing? The humans just wanted to get rid of them faster, and old injustices were resurfacing on both sides, being thrown at one another, almost in such a way as to keep this whole thing going.

Ripred sighed. He was getting too old for this. What was he now? Fifty? A little bit younger? A little bit older? Not as old as Solovet, but close. Maybe she could do this until she died, but he'd rather die in peace, thank you.

Ripclaw entered the room, and tapped on Ripred's shoulder. "Sir? The others have made up a tactic for the next battle." Ripred chuckled softly.

"It's been a long time," he muttered, turning to Ripclaw. "Since someone's called me 'Sir'."

Ripred should have noticed it. Ripclaw's face held carefully made-up confusion, but in his eye, something glinted mysteriously.

"But, everyone's been calling you 'Sir'. For four years." Ripclaw said, watching the older rat carefully.

"Look," said Ripred awkwardly. "We should just drop this whole thing. It's not working. Plus, I-" He cut himself off. What exactly was he going to say? He cared too much? That was definitely something. What, precisely, was he going to do, if by some strange coincidence, he managed to overthrow Luxa? He had too much respect for her to humiliate her in any way; held her too close for too long to kill her. What, exactly, was his plan?

He was snapped out of his reverie by Ripclaw, who was giggling. In a very freaky way, no less.

"Idiot." Ripclaw sneered.

Realization dawned on Ripred. But it was too late. Another rat leapt from the shadows, slicing into him before Ripred ripped his throat out.

"Damn." He muttered, staring at Ripclaw as several other young, strong rats came into the room. "I _am _getting old, aren't I?"

Ripclaw laughed. "Yes." And the other rats pounced.

Ripred killed them all easily, but several, somehow, managed to slice at him, carving out large pieces of flesh.

"Some of those pups," muttered Ripred, his good hand clamped over the gushing wound on his arm. "Were ragers, weren't they?" Ripclaw nodded.

"One old, weary rager doesn't do as well against four, well-trained, well-rested ones, and more, eh, _'Sir'_?" Ripclaw sneered. Then, he pounced as well, slicing at Ripred's face.

Ripred was ready this time, however. He dodged, but Ripclaw's claw still connected, if lightly. It sliced a cut into Ripred's face, intersecting with the one Solovet gave him.

Ripred wished he could rip out Ripclaw's throat, but right now, he was in no position to tempt fate. Besides, with Ripclaw obviously controlling the group of gnawers, and with him being so bloodthirsty (Ripred had been with him for four years. He knew.), he had to warn Luxa. Or at least try to. Whether she listened to him or not, he didn't know.

Ripred shook his head as he ran through the sulfur tunnel, leaving all pursuit far behind. "I am getting so old, it's not even funny."

--

Gregor sat in the dark, dank dungeon, with Henry, who hadn't said anything since they'd been imprisoned. Their hands were still tied behind their backs. Their stomachs rumbled loudly, often. And Gregor felt a horrible wetness on his shirt, as the horrible wounds on his side went on unattended for hours.

The metallic smell of blood filled the air.

There was no telling how long they were in there before the door opened, but open it did, and in walked Howard. Gregor was shocked at how different he looked. Howard's muscles, which had disappeared after the "Curse of the Warmbloods" epidemic, had completely come back. The pox scars were very much faded. And he carried a medical kit, with all the air of someone who knew exactly how to use it.

Howard cut the bonds around Gregor's wrists, but ignored Henry. Gregor winced as blood came back into his arms, bring pain with it. Howard then cut open Gregor's shirt, and gasped at the wounds.

They were obviously becoming infected. Little dribbles of pus and bright red streaks colored Gregor's pale side. As Howard cleaned the wounds gently, Gregor screamed silently.

"They should have called someone a great deal sooner." Howard whispered to no one in particular. Then he looked at Gregor, reaching out and touching the young man's forehead. "A slight fever," he whispered, taking out a bottle and giving some of it to Gregor. "That should do." Then Howard stopped, dropping the professional act. He cast a quick look at the guards, who seemed to be paying no attention, and gave Gregor a quick hug.

Gregor almost cried, returning the hug gratefully.

"Luxa believes that you have sided with Henry. But Vikus and I have talked with the flier, Apollo, and we both remain convinced of your innocence." Gregor smiled at him gratefully. Howard looked at him curiously. "Why is it that you do not speak, Gregor?"

"That is because," Henry cut in. "He cannot. He has not been able to speak since he was rescued from the rat pits." Howard turned to Henry and glared.

"You." He said coldly. "You deserve whatever is given to you; whatever punishment they choose."

Henry sighed, then whispered, sadness almost painfully evident, "I agree with you. Why I am here, I have no idea." Howard seemed surprised for a second, then turned and looked at Gregor.

"I shall inform the council that you cannot speak." Gregor nodded. Then Howard turned to Henry and cut his bonds. Henry gave him a grateful look, but it was not acknowledged. Howard then placed two trays of food on the floor for them. "You have been in here for nearly a day. The trial is tomorrow." He said, turning to the door. He stopped and turned to the pair, his hand on the door, identical to how Luxa was a day ago. His eyes landed on Gregor.

"I am glad you have light still, Gregor." He said with a smile. And then he closed the door, making the room pitch black again.


	10. Alliance Reunited

Sharptongue: Howdy, as you lovely little American children say. I'm Sharptongue, Gorim's OC, and personal secretary. She's sick of answering comments without any help, and no one else is gonna do it; they're too enthralled by her family's new blue ray. So, here I am.

On Edge: Yes, Gregor is slightly stupid. Rereading Gregor the Overlander pretty much sums it up. Gregor can't speak. He hasn't BEEN able to speak. Please see Will We Fight? and Reunited But Still Apart for proof. Why do you think he was signing stuff all the time? For fun? And yea, Ripclaw DID ruin it. Gorim says that that character pretty much writes itself. She hopes she can write more about him in the future. It's the hated characters that are the funnest to write. And on the Howard note,well, imagine you have a friend. Friend disappears. You don't see friend for 4 years. Then, out of the blue, he reappears with a guy who almost killed said friend, your cousin, your cousins bond, the old guy next door...

idestoryuall: "Gregy"? Oh, I shall so be calling that boy "Gregy". And he'll have you to thank for it.

LikeYouShouldKnow: Should we all just stop answering? Or should we continued to humor this guy? READERS! DECIDE!

AresRocks: Ripclaw comes back later. As does Ripred. I think you'll like Ripclaw's death very, very much! (manical laughter)

_Alliance; Reunited_

Boots sat on Pollux, thinking about what had just happened.

After flying for a few minutes, Lyra had signaled for the bats to land. And where they landed was most surprising.

A rat colony.

They all were very nice. The rats greeted her warmly; some even knew her name, though she didn't know any of them. A few she knew from stories. A black rat called Sharptongue, a wise-cracking gnawer whose loyalties, according to some of the colonists, ran about a deep as his pockets to all but family. And he's Twirltongue's brother.

And Bloodrun, an old gnawer general, a genius at tactic and strategy, who, on occasion, had bested even Solovet herself.

These two, and others just as infamous, greeted them kindly. Well, Sharptongue may have made an enemy of Boots by patting her on the head, wrapping his tail around her shoulders, and saying, "Hey there, love." But all in all, no one fit the stereotype that the Regalians had painted in Boots' head.

Then she appeared.

Sliverclaw.

She in particular made Boots revise all she'd ever thought about Gnawers. The rat was slender, with a beautiful sliver coat. The female rat wasn't without scars, however. One ran vertical from a bit above her eye, down to the corner of her mouth. This eye was closed, and would probably stay closed forever.

Lyra had taken Sliverclaw's paw in her hand, and they went off and talked next to the fire, which was very much like the one at the colony. Sharptongue continued to tick off Boots by continuing to call her "Love". But when Lyra and Sliverclaw walked up, he, and all the rest of the rats and humans and fliers, went silent.

"A few days ago," started Sliverclaw. "Solovet attacked one of our off-shoot camps. Vikus maintains that this was an accident, and I believe him. However, I also think that, whatever the consequences, we should prepare ourselves for future 'accidents'." There were a few snickers, particularly from the gnawers.

"So," Lyra picked up. "I have promised aide to the Silverclaw faction, in any way. Be it military, medical, or agricultural. I have spoken with the council at the colony, and they have agreed to this. So, what I suppose I'm saying is…" She stopped and looked at the crowd. "That the Colony and the Sliverclaw faction have an alliance. From now till the end."

The cheering could have blown your eardrums to pieces. Boots looked around that the cheering crowd. In addition to herself, Pollux, Lyra, Ceres, Kain and Echo, a few other colonists had come with them. Their muscular physiques made Boots wonder. This was a negotiation, a plea for the Regalians to release Apollo, Gregor and Henry. So why, exactly, did they need soldiers?

"What are you thinking?!" hissed Kain about an hour later, as they flew. He and Echo had not seemed pleased about the alliance. Kain pointed angrily behind him.

"What are you thinking?!"

Both on bats, talking grimly to one another, was Sharptongue and Sliverclaw.

The bats carrying them seemed to be having a tough time, the one carrying Sharptongue a bit more than the other. Their previous riders had had to double up with another person and her bat, and they both glared frequently back at the gnawers, specifically Sharptongue.

The rat noticed their glares, and sighed tragically. "Why must you keep doing that?" He asked. "It's making me feel unloved." Neither the bats nor the previous riders said anything.

Lyra smiled. "Sliverclaw needed to be in Regalia. Romulus volunteered to carry her. Sharptongue is her 'bodyguard'." The black rat overheard this, grinned, and stretched luxuriously, making the poor bat carrying him squeak pathetically, and drop a few feet.

Lyra gave him a hard look. "Stop that," she said sternly. "Or Zeus will have permission to drop you, and I doubt you will be able to land on your feet from this height." Sharptongue sighed.

"Alright. Sorry, Zeus." He said, like a four year-old apologizing for not sharing a toy with the class.

"Sure," muttered the bat, still straining under the rats weight. "I just pray we get to Regalia soon, for all our sakes."

--

The door opened, and light flooded into the dark room. Gregor and Henry both looked up, then stood up.

Henry raised his arms dramatically and said, "Take me away!"

The room they were all taken to was the same room Gregor, Ares, Howard and Andromeda had had their trial in. The same tribunal council sat behind the stone table. But instead of Nerissa, weak, exhausted and messy, on the throne sat Luxa, every bit a Queen. She'd dressed up for this occasion; she wore a real crown, the kind you imagine a crown to look like, thick gold and covered with jewels. She also wore an elaborate purple gown, which Gregor vaguely remembered as being the color of royalty in ancient times.

Henry, Apollo and Gregor stood in the precise same spot Gregor, Howard, Andromeda and Ares stood five years ago.

Henry was called to the stand first. Luxa stiffened.

"Henry," said the decrepit bat slowly. "Before we ask the questions, there is a formality that must be observed." Henry nodded. "You, Gregor the Overlander, and this unknown flier Apollo have all been charged with treason. How do _you _plea to this?"

"I plead guilty, Your Honor." Henry said promptly. The crowd began whispering to one another. The council nodded, then proceeded to ask Henry questions.

"What happened after you fell?" "Where were you?" "How did you come across the Overlander?" All these questions were asked and answered. Finally, Gregor was called up.

"Overlander," began a nibbler. "We have been told that you cannot speak, and that you communicate with a sign language. We have also been told that this flier can translate, so expect no difference in our questioning of you." Gregor nodded. "Well then. How do you plead to these charges laid down by Queen Luxa?"

-_Not guilty._- Gregor signed. Apollo translated. There was a gasp among the crowd. The council all nodded again.

"Alright. Now then. Where were you this whole time, Overlander?"

-_The Colony of Lost._- Gregor answered. There was a general snicker from the crowd, but the council simply nodded neutrally.

"Where is this colony of Lost? Describe it."

And so it went. Gregor was asked tons of questions about the colony, and what he'd been doing.

But there was one question he could not, for the life of him, answer.

"Why did you stay?" They asked. "Why did you not return?"

-_I don't know._- Gregor replied helplessly. -_I don't know._-

Apollo was called to the stand and, after pleading not guilty to the charge of treason, proceeded to also answer a great deal of questions about the colony, only with him, it was also questions about Gregor and Henry.

After the questioning was finished, Gregor's wrists were retied (they'd been released for the questioning for obvious reasons), and the council converged. Gregor looked at Luxa. She basically ignored him.

Finally, the bat stood and said in a loud voice, "The council has reached a verdict, your Highness."

"Speak." Said Luxa quietly.

"For Gregor the Overlander, on trail for the crime of treason, we find him… innocent." There was a gasp of outrage, and Gregor's muscles all relaxed at once, then tightened again as the bat continued.

"For Apollo the Flier, on trail for the crime of treason, we find him… innocent." Again, a collective gasp of outrage.

"For Henry the Underlander, on trail for the crime of treason, we find him… guilty."

Silence.

"Your Highness," said the old man, turning to Luxa, who looked pale. "Have you any objections on the verdicts?"

If she did or not, no one would ever know, for at that moment, the doors to the trail room burst open.

Standing in the doorway was Boots, Lyra, Kain, Echo, several other colonists and fliers Gregor and Henry knew by sight only, a couple of Gnawers that, by the crowds reaction to them, only Gregor didn't know…

And a large black flier that stared at Gregor, looking ecstatic.

"Ares." Gregor whispered.

Gorim: WHOOT! Gregy can speak again!

Gregor: Damn you, idestoryuall!

All: ... don't curse at the readers, Gregy.

Gorim: Anyway, yeah. Poor Zeus and the awesome Sharptongue shall return.

Also, I'm thinking of doing the "100 themes" thing after or during this, and I just got a story idea. (this story, if I write it, will have nothing to do with this one). What do you guys think?


	11. Echo's Choice All of Us

Ripred: Okay, me and Greggy-

Gregor: _Gregor _and I!

Ripred: Me and Greggy are reading and responding to fan mail-

Gregor: They're reviews.

Ripred: Fan mail. But first, here's the explaination as to why this chapter took so F()King long.

Gregor: Ripred!

Ripred: Gorim's computer went emo, very much like Ares, (Gregor: o.0) over the weekend, so she eventually had to write it out on her mom's computer. She's trying to talk her mom into getting her a laptop, but Mother seems to believe Gorim'll step on it or somthing. Gorim spent most of today moping in her room because of that.

But anyway... Here's the fan mail replies.

idestroyuall: Hehe. There shall be a Gluxa scene in the next chapter. What is it with you people and thinking up little names for pairings? Gluxa... it sounds the sound someone makes when they're honking up a loogie.

Gregor: ...

On Edge: Thanks. I'm glad you liked it, and so it Gorim, and everyone else here at... Gorim's house...

Moonlight's Best Friend: I'll curse at them if I want to! DX Yes, it's really Ares...

Ripred:

AresRocks: Gorim is trying to say that there was a reason for Ares not showing up sooner, but it was really just lousy planning.

Gorim: Yes. I apologize. Anyway, this is kind of a special edition chapter, since I wrote it on an entirely different program. Kind of. Okay, it was the same program, but it LOOKED different. Probably because mine's OLD!

_Echo's Choice - All of Us_

"Ares," Gregor whispered. "Ares." The bat beamed.

There was a long silence in the trail room. People looked from motley crew in the doorway, to the two men and the flier standing in front of them.

"Apollo!" Boots ran up to the big auburn bat and untied his wings. He stretched with a sigh of relief.

"Greetings, small one," he said cheerfully. Boots pouted.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered, her snapping tone slightly contradicted by her wrapping her arms around him. The bat returned her hug.

Henry sighed. "Ah, yes. All of this is very touching. However, I would like to point out that I have just been found guilty of treason. Could you, Lyra, protest this verdict?"

The Halflander smiled. "I shall, though looking at these people, I assume it will take a very long explanation as to who I am to make my appeal make any difference."

Sharptongue got off Zeus, who looked like he was actually in pain, and strolled casually over to Gregor.

"Well, well," he murmured. "If it isn't the Warrior. I'm Sharptongue, Twirltongue's brother. Nice to meet you." Gregor looked confused.

Boots looked over at her brother. "Long story." Gregor nodded, frowning.

Lyra proceeded to explain away. There were a great deal of gasps and confused looks. Luxa's fists, which had clenched when the group appeared, gradually relaxed. "Does that explain everything to Her Highness?" Asked Lyra with a smile. Luxa actually looked relieved.

"Yes," she whispered.

"And are all these young people free to go?" Lyra prompted.

Luxa looked at Henry and Gregor. Gregor tried smiling; Henry didn't. "I supp-"

A shriek suddenly cut through what Luxa was about to say. Everyone turned in time to see Lyra fall, blood spurting from a wound on her side. Standing over her body, bloody sword in hand, was Kain.

Full on panic reigned for about a minute as the guards that had accompanied the group restrained Boots, Sharptongue, Sliverclaw and Henry. The fliers pounced on Ceres, Apollo, and Ares. Chloe was nowhere to be found.

Gregor's hands were still tied behind his back as Kain strolled over to Gregor, took hold of the front of his shirt, pushed him back, and let him dangle over the edge of the open window.

"Everyone be silent!" He cried out over the din. "Or I drop the Overlander." Everyone stopped, shock on their faces.

Kain turned back to Gregor, who looked absolutely helpless. "So, Overlander," he said. "There is not much to say in this situation, is there? All in all, you have two choices. You can join me, because everyone has need of a rager, particularly one who's mastered their control. Or," he nodded past Gregor, to the hundreds of feet of air between him and the ground. "You can fall to your death, just like you were supposed to 5 years ago." He smiled dementedly. "Just say yes."

Gregor looked at the dizzyingly large fall at his back, gulped, then turned back to Kain with a glare. "NO!" He cried, then winced in pain. His voiced hadn't been used in a very long time.

Kain shook his head. "Sorry. Wrong answer." And let go of Gregor, letting him fall.

Luxa shrieked with rage, struggling desperately. Ares also struggled, but quite a few bats had pounced on him, pinning his wings to the ground. Echo stared at the window, dumb-founded, and slightly ashamed. Over the years, she'd grown to like Gregor, and indeed he'd saved her from several bad situations. She hovered uncertainly, her feelings of right and wrong battling.

Henry, however, was the one to act. Somehow breaking free of his bonds, he broke out of the hold the men had on him.

"Traitors should die together," he said calmly as he ran towards the still gloating Kain. "Eh, old friend?" He slammed into the older man, pushing out the window, both of them falling behind Gregor.

Nobody moved. They all stared in absolute shock. Then, Echo bolted out the window…. And a cinnamon-brown blur flew along with her.

"Chloe!" Lyra gasped out, still on the ground, her hand pressed tight against her gushing wound.

There was another period of turmoil as the guards finally took action, wrestling the men, women and fliers off the Gnawers, the Queen, the girl and the other fliers. Ceres fluttered over to Lyra and wrapped her wings around her. Everyone was trembling.

Ares didn't move. He only stared, motionless, at the window.

After a few moments, the two fliers reappeared. Chloe was staring at Echo sadly, Henry on her back. The blood-red flier landed on the floor of the hall. On her back, staring at her just as sadly as Chloe was, was Gregor.

"Oh, Echo," he whispered hoarsely. "Oh, Echo, I'm so sorry."

Echo shook her head. Gregor got off clumsily, backing away from the flier. Echo sobbed, and hunched over, covering her face with her wings.

"And now," she said heart-brokenly. "I am alone!"

The only sound in the hall was her sobs for a moment. Then an Underlander girl, about the same age as Gregor and Luxa, walked over to the flier.

"It is a truly horrid thing," she said. "To be alone." Echo jerked, and looked up. "It has been a very long time, my bond," whispered the Underlander girl, Cassandra.

Echo stared at her for second, then started to cry again, wrapping her wings around the bond she never knew was alive, but never forgot. Gregor smiled at his friend.

Henry still hadn't gotten off Chloe.

"I am charging by the hour, Henry," Chloe teased. Henry got off numbly, then sank to his knees. "Henry," Chloe said, startled. "Are you hurt?"

"Why did you save me?" Henry whispered. "Why? I was supposed to die a long time ago, and you saved me then. Why didn't you saved Gregor? You did not know Echo was going to save him; you saved me first. WHY?!" He looked like he was loosing it.

Chloe stared at him for a moment. "Are you done?" She asked. The man nodded forlornly. "Because we are bonds." She said frankly. Henry looked at her in shock.

"What?" He asked, a look of wonder on his face.

"Well, sure," the flier said. "We are bonds, are we not? If you want, go ahead, jump again. I will only save you again." Henry stared at her, then gave a watery smile.

"Yes," he said shakily. "We are bonds." Chloe beamed.

"Well, isn't that just lovely," a hoarse, weak voice came from behind them. Sliverclaw gasped, then ran to it.

"Ripred!" She cried, helping him.

Ripred was a mess. Several of his wounds, and there were plenty of them, looked badly infected. He looked exhausted on top of that. Sliverclaw helped him sit down, then backed up, getting a closer look at him

"What happened?!" She asked.

"Your stupid brother happened," he snapped. "He's as bad as the Bane. I wouldn't be surprised if that little Hitler started murdering mouse babies!" He looked around in disgust at the shocked Underlander faces, which included Luxa.

"By the way, Your Highness, I've been meaning to hold up the white flag. Ripclaw, however, has different plans. In fact, I do believe he's here, coming up with that stupid, brain-washed little group of his." Ripred's eyes landed on Gregor and Boots. "Well, hey there you to. You've grown."

"It happens." Boots said casually. "Lizzie will NOT be pleased." Gregor looked at her in shock. He'd never gotten to how close Ripred and Lizzie had been. He'd told her all about their family, but had tried to cut out how much the Underland had effected them.

Ripred laughed weakly. "No she won't, will she?" Then he promptly fell asleep.

There was another painful silence. Then Luxa spoke up.

"Well, if what Ripred says is true, then we must fight the Gnawers."

Sharptongue looked at Ripred, then at the Queen, and said, "Aren't you even slightly curious about how a group of fliers, Overlanders, Halflanders, and Gnawers got past your defenses. THEN, this totally beat up rat gets past it too. Is that saying anything?" Luxa glared at him. "I'm just saying. You might want to look into that."

Henry laughed, got up, and brushed himself off. Then he went over to one of the Betrayers and took their sword, then grabbed another one and threw it to Gregor. "Well, we might as well get started, eh? Besides, it is obvious who shall win." Everyone looked at him confusedly. "Oh, please." He muttered. "Let us see. We have got Gregor, Warrior, echo-locator and rager extraordinaire." Ripred cut him off at that point.

"I'd like to hear that story!"

Henry continued. "And Ares, very likely the strongest flier in the Underland." Ares fluttered over to Gregor, and hugged him. Gregor laughed and hugged him back.

"I missed you, buddy," he said in the loudest voice he could without hurting himself, which wasn't very loud.

"And I you." Ares said back, equally quiet. Gregor realized it must have been the same for Ares, not knowing if the other was alive or dead.

"We have Boots and Apollo, who are very, very good. Boots may very well be a rager herself!" Henry continued.

Boots rolled her eyes. "Just because I beat you at sparring, Henry, does not mean you can make stuff up to make yourself feel better about it."

Henry blushed, then went on. "We have me, obviously, and Chloe is with me. We, together, are nigh unstoppable."

"If I recall correctly-" Boots said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Henry whirled around. "You just stop!" He snapped, sending Boots into gales of laughter. "We have these two Gnawers, who I have heard are brilliant." Sharptongue grinned, and Sliverclaw looked up from Ripred's wounds, and snapped her tail in recognition. "We have the lovely Queen and her flier, who, I am sure, are exceptional." The corners of Luxa's mouth twitched. "And, we have the Regalian Army. So, yes, I think it is fairly obvious who shall win."

Chloe stared out the window. "You all should probably come see this…" She said, pointing numbly. They all crowded around.

Outside, stretching out as far as the eye could see, shoulder to shoulder, was an army of rats.

"Are you so sure now, Henry?"

Gorim: (giggle) I've been wanting to write something like this for a long time. Henry introducing everyone. There hasn't been a lot of humor in this story, so I let myself go wild. It might not sound too go, though. This is the kind of thing I think up when I'm drinking Diet Dr. Pepper and reading Buso Renkin.

By the way, you should all read the book I Am Legend. The movie was awesome. The book, in my opinion, is even better. I like the movie plot, though. Vampires just don't appeal to me very much. I'm a werewolf kind of girl, and the whole deadly-virus thing interests me.

Oh my god, did you all hear about the whole "6 teens tape the beating of another"? Freaky huh? Amazing, how kids can actually act that way! How is that possible?

The youngest one was just a year older than me, and I can't imagine doing that to someone. Or just taping it. (shudder) Scary.

Anyway, until next time, all! I'm going to go to the mall tomorrow instead of staying home (no school! XD) so I'll probably post between 6 and 9. 9 in my bedtime, because I must get up at 6. -.-


	12. Scars

Gorim: Oki-dokie! I'm gonna reply today, since Greggy (Gregor: I hate you) refuses to cooperate and Ripred did it yesterday. I suppose the others could do it...

Anyway, here it is.

AresRocks: That was kind of the point. Echo "echoed" Ares choice, by choosing the greater good at great personal cost. Get it? So am I.

idestroyuall: Boots is awesome. Have you ever seen the movie Serenity? If you haven't, you should. Anyway, there's this girl, and I swear to the god's of thunder and jelly and jam that she's a rager. There's this whole big scene where she fights a whole huge room of these crazy mutilated people, and she's all over the place! If you ever see the movie, or if you've already seen it, the River Tam fighting scene is how I picture ragers. And Boots.

On Edge: I'm glad you liked it. I had fun writing it. I'd like to say that the whole rushed feel of it was intentional, but that would be stupid. I would also like to blame it on the program, since it's so much nicer then mine. But that's stupid to. It was just poor structural planning, I guess. If I hadn't added the whole Echo-finds-her-bond thing then, I either would have forgotten the whole thing, or I would have been stuck with a useless, moping flier.

Echo: ...

Gorim: Lyra is fine. She'll come up more in the next chapter.

_Scars_

Gregor the Overlander stood on the high wall of the Palace, his bond Ares by his side. He looked out towards the army of rats. They were about a mile or so away, shoulder to shoulder, stretched out miles and miles behind. It reminded Gregor of the disastrous battle with the Cutters in the Curse of the Warmblood quest, but he didn't mention that to anyone.

Luxa and her bond, Aurora, landed beside them. Luxa dismounted, and stared off towards the army as well. Then she looked towards Gregor.

"How did you get that?" She asked. Gregor started, then turned to look at her.

"Beg pardon?" He asked. Luxa pointed to the scar that stretched across his face.

"How did you get that scar? It seems very deep, and much older than the other unfamiliar ones." Gregor touched the scar, his eyes blurring as he remembered.

"It was a few months after Henry rescued me. I still hadn't recovered, but the Colony is very close to the rat borders, and I could fight. I couldn't get into the rager state. I was scared, and I was certain I was going to die. Then a rat, and I will always remember this, the rat looked a lot like Ripred, he sliced at my face. The moment his claw connected, something broke. All the fear evaporated, my heart became white, and it welled up inside of me." His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "The will to fight." Then he suddenly relaxed, and turned to Luxa again. "In a way, the scars that the Bane gave me signify the death of the Warrior." He touched the scar on his face again. "And this is the sign of his rebirth."

Luxa was quiet for a second, then reached up and touched his face.

"I shall make a promise, here and now," she said. "From this moment on, our hearts and minds are one. No longer shall we be apart; as Queen, I forbid it. I love you, and if you die, I shall die as well!"

There was a long, shocked silence. Gregor stared at her for a second, then smiled.

"A promise like that goes both ways," he said. He took hold of her thin shoulders. "If you die, I'll die too, because I love you."

Ares turned his head, a smile playing on his lips. _Finally!_

In the background, unseen by the lovebirds, was Howard. He stared blankly at the couple, then whispered, "Gregor, you are the best for her, I admit. But if you make my cousin, my sister, cry again, I shall never forgive you."

"I knew you two'd work it out," a very familiar voice said from behind them. They both turned in shock, as Ripred, supported by Sliverclaw and a very reluctant Sharptongue, limped over to them.

"Ripred!" Howard said sharply. "You must not be out of bed. You are greatly injured!"

"As right as you are, I want to see some good, old-fashioned karma fall upon my dear second in command," said Ripred with a smirk. "I'm fine. I just need to sit down."

At that moment, a long, shrill note sounded. Everyone looked up. The rats where only a quarter mile away.

Solovet, older, but still standing tall, the same fierce glint just as hard and sharp in her eyes, walked up to the pair and their fliers.

"The Gnawers approach. Prepare yourselves." And with that, she left.

"Nice to know the years have been good on Solovet." Gregor muttered. Luxa laughed.

Henry, Boots, Apollo and Chloe walked or fluttered over to them.

"Are we ready?" Henry asked. Gregor looked back out to the army. They were so close, so, so close.

"Yes."

--

The battle raged on for hours. Gregor and the others soon jumped off of the fliers, and started hacking away at the rats. It was the same as with the Cutters. For every one that fell, two replaced it. Gregor was getting worn out, and it was obvious the others were feeling the strain too.

Boots, however, was awesome. In the very literal sense of the word.

Armed with two swords, she leapt from Apollo's back and crashed into the enemy lines, killed about three with a stroke. Even now, exhausted as she was, she had killed more then most. Whirling around, twisting backwards, spinning in circles, if she hadn't had been in the middle of a battlefield, one could say she was dancing.

But, oh, there were so many! While the Regalian army dwindled, whittled away by the endlessness of it all, the rat army stayed strong. Soon, everyone was covered with wounds. Gregor felt light-headed from blood loss. Ares had saved him several times, and was calling for him to jump. He couldn't. He could barely move.

Ripclaw came out of nowhere.

His paw slammed into Gregor, knocking the wind out of him. He crashed into the stone ground. Ripclaw walked over, and pressed his paw against Gregor's chest, and pressed down, hard. Gregor wheezed as all the air was forced out of his lungs.

"Do you remember, Overlander," Ripclaw said softly. "The rat you killed saving the pretty little Queen? That was my son. You took someone I love. So I suppose it's only fair I take something from you." Gregor tried to struggle, but Ripclaw just pressed down harder. "I could kill your pretty little girlfriend. That has the added bonus of breaking the Regalian government. I could rip your sister's throat out, but she's so small. That wouldn't be any fun." Multi-colored eggs flashed in front of Gregor's eyes. "Or… I could kill your bond. I think I'll do that."

The pressure lifted. Air rushed back into Gregor's lungs, but he had no time to relish it.

Ripclaw bounded towards Ares, who'd landed to try and save Gregor. The flier's back was to the insane rat.

"Ares!" Luxa cried, her voice echoing above the din and confusion. Ares turned.

Gregor was there. Gregor was in front of him, his arms spread out in that strange, protective gesture.

The young man was flung into the air like a rag doll.

Blood splattered on the stone. The whole battlefield quieted, stared.

As Gregor fell, he choked out, "Henry…" Then his head shot up, his eyes flashing. "Now! Peirce through him!"

Henry leapt past Ares, underneath Gregor, and drove his sword into Ripclaw's head.

Gregor fell onto the ground with a crash and a sob of pain. The scene was frozen for a second, Ares staring in shock, Gregor's prone form on the ground, and Henry, his face cold, his sword driven right between Ripclaw's eyes.

Henry's hand jerked, ripping the sword out of Ripclaw's head. He whipped it on Ripclaw's dead body, then turned to the pale Luxa.

"Consider my debt to you paid in full." Henry said quietly.

Ripclaw's army fell apart. Half of them tried to run, the other half had no idea what was going on.

Henry turned and knelt next to Gregor. The Overlander was very pale. Henry's hand pressed against Gregor's neck. There was a pulse, but barely.

He turned to the wall, where a shocked Solovet and Ripred stood, staring. "Do not just stand there! Call for-" There was a whoosh. Henry turned and saw that Ares had picked up his bond, put him on his back, and was already halfway to the hospital. "Damn, he is fast!" Henry muttered. Then he jumped, and he was on the back of his own flier, heading after the pair.

--

_Two days later…_

Gregor groaned. The huge wound that went from his stomach to his collarbone had been stitched up, as had the several other various cuts and slices. And they were everywhere.

He literally couldn't move.

Ares sat next to Gregor in the hospital, Luxa next to him, sewing up some tear in her shirt.

The Underlander Queen sighed, and looked up from her stitching. "Do not moan Gregor. Howard said you shall make a full recovery."

Gregor moaned again. "What good is getting better if I can't MOVE?" He looked up at his love. "Well?" Luxa shook her head.

"You are a fool." She reached over and touched his cheek. "Just, as you Overlanders say, shut up and heal."

Gregor sighed.

"Whatever."

Then Lyra walked slowly into the room. She was wearing a loose gown, and she looked very grave.

"What's wrong, Lyra?" Gregor asked, trying to sit up, then almost biting his tongue off, it hurt so bad.

Lyra looked at him gravely. "Margaret has already been informed of this." She said. "Gregor, your parents are coming."

Gorim: I just couldn't think of a good way to end this. I probably should have ended it way before this, when Gregor was sliced in half, but I didn't. I should have, probably...


	13. Itsumo

Gorim: Alright, me and Boots-

Boots: Hey there!

Gorim: We're gonna be replying, okay?

LikeYouShouldKnow: I'm just gonna say... he's changed, and he was talking about a very life-changing event.

G.I.D/On Edge: Haha. Boots is a god-mod!

Boots: Don't blame me for your stupid writing habits!

Gorim: But seriously, thanks. Your reviews are never offending; I've learned a lot from them! XD Thanks for your support, btw! But, I have a question. Why is it that when Ripred god-mods, it's fine, but when Boots does it-

Ripred: It's because I'm God.

Gorim: If you have time to interrupt, you can reply to these

Ripred: (runs)

Gorim: (sigh)

AresRocks: (snicker) Greggy whumpage is just so fun to write.

Boots: Why do you all call him Greggy?

Gorim: It's an obscure way of saying we love him.

Boots: ...

B.I.T.B.S: Ah, then you know what she's talking about. I've seen it too. That's probably the best way to explain ragers.

idestroyuall: He doesn't tell them off exactly... well, you'll see...

Gorim:

Moonlight's Best Friend: Unfortunately, the next chapter is the epilogue. But, I plan on writing a bit more, just not on this story. Gregor doesn't die. Ever. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever... I don't have enough "ever"s memorized...

InkStink: Thanks!

"_Gregor?" _

_His mother stood in front of him, tears filling her eyes. Gregor felt tears tear at the back of his own throat, and heard Boots inhale sharply._

_His mother ran over, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, honey," she sobbed. "Oh, I missed you!" He returned the hug with a sob. Boots stood awkwardly next to them, not knowing precisely what to do._

_Then their dad and Lizzie appeared. His dad looked a great deal healthier, and Lizzie was older, _taller_. About the same age he was when he first fell. Lizzie gasped, and ran over to Boots, crying. She gave Boots a big hug._

"_You're okay," she sobbed. "You're alive!" _

_All defenses crumbled at that point. Boots collapsed, wrapped her arms around Lizzie, and sobbed. The whole family wrapped their arms around each other and cried. The Underlanders stood awkwardly off to the side. Henry muttered something about, "Get dinner ready," and he and Chloe flew off. Luxa was crying herself. Ares was smiling, and Apollo looked a bit sad._

_The reason became clear soon._

"_We're/ leaving," Grace said, wiping her eyes. "Right now."_

_Gregor and Boots stopped, frozen. Everyone froze._

"_Wha-? But- But Mom-" stammered Gregor, horrified._

"_No! No buts, Gregor!" Grace snapped, already starting to loose it. "We've already lost too much to this place! Four years, Gregor! Four years!" Gregor looked at her helplessly. She just wouldn't understand._

_Luxa rushed over. "Please, Miss Grace!" _

_But Grace was having none of it. "No. Thank you, Luxa, for being so nice and all, but I think we're fine now."_

_--_

Gregor stood in front of the entrance to Central Park, Boots next to him, both weighed down by luggage, and sorrow. Their friends, Luxa, Aurora, Ares, Apollo, Henry, Chloe, and Howard stood behind them. Grace, Lizzie, and their dad stood in front.

"Come on, Gregor." Grace said, turning around as his father opened the stair.

Gregor felt like crying; he almost did. Boots was. He walked forward. Boots grabbed his hand, trembling. Gregor caught a glimpse of the sky, huge, inky black, and the huge, huge moon. Boots gasped; she couldn't remember the last time she saw the sky or the moon.

Gregor stopped. He closed his eyes and listened, catching all those little sounds he hadn't before.

The fluttering of the flier's wings.

Luxa's quiet sobbing.

Howard's shaky deep breaths as he tried not to cry.

He didn't want to go. He didn't want to.

He looked at his mother, tears welling up.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't." He whirled around, his hand still clutching Boots', and ran back to his friends. To Luxa, to be specific. Boots let go of his hand, and Gregor took Luxa's in his.

He looked at her tear-stained face, which wore a hopeful look now. He wiped a tear from her cheek, and kissed her.

Boots stood back, smiling. Then she walked over to Apollo and took his claw in her hand, and turned to her parents and sister.

"I am sorry, but I do not think it is possible to leave this place. This may sound a bit too poetic, but our hearts are too intertwined with theirs."

Grace's shoulders slumped. Their dad smiled, and closed the stair.

"Grace, you didn't really believe that they'd leave these people without a second thought, did you?" He asked. Grace turned to him, looking desperate.

"But, Michael-" she started.

"You know," a woman's voice cut through it all. "We could always use more help around the Colony."

Lyra walked up to Grace with a smile, Ceres landing close to Ares.

"Greetings, Grace. I am Lyra, Gregor and Boots' caretaker. I wish to know if you would like to live here, in the Underland. Not in Regalia, but in the colony." She waited patiently.

Grace stared at this strange looking woman in shock. Michael smiled, and leaned over to his wife.

"She wants to know if we would want to stay here, hon. Here, with Gregor and Boots'," he whispered. Lyra nodded cheerfully.

Grace stammered, then, amazingly, nodded.

Lyra clapped her hands happily. "Wonderful! Now then," and she started talking about how the Colony was considering to become its own state, and how Henry's idea seemed to actually be working. Boots was laughing and hugging Apollo, and everyone was insanely happy. But Gregor and Luxa still hadn't moved.

"It's our time now." Gregor whispered in Luxa's ear.

--

_Two Years Later..._

Gregor stood awkwardly at the front of the church. Vikus stood in front of him, Ares behind him. And, across from him, stood Kendra, Nerissa, Boots, Lizzie and Aurora. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, like a child about to jump off the diving board. He was about to take the plunge.

The music playing in the background renewed with vigor and Luxa walked down the aisle. She looked stunning. The dress she wore was a beautiful golden yellow, like sunlight, and it settled and folded at all the right places. A thin veil covered her face. Her hand was placed lightly on Howard's arm as he walked her down the aisle.

The Queen stood in front of Gregor as Howard backed up and sat down in the front row, next to Gregor's parents and Ripred, who's face was missing it's usual smirk.

"Wow." Gregor said softly, in awe. "You look beautiful." Luxa smiled girlishly.

"I have been with these children," Vikus began. "For a very, very long time. I have seen them go from ordinary, to extordinary, and back again. Hopefully, for their sakes, it will now settle." He turned to Luxa. "Begin."

"I, Luxa, take thee Gregor as my husband, for richer or poorer, on the ground and the air, in the light and the dark, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward," implusively, she reached over and grasped Gregor's hand. "Until death do us part."

Vikus smiled, and turned to Gregor. "And now you, Gregor."

"I, Gregor, take thee Luxa as my wife, for richer or poorer, on the ground and the air, in the light and the dark, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward," again, he took a deep breath. "Until death do us part."

There was a rustle from the crowd, a sigh, an exhale, a shaky breath.

"The rings," prompted Vikus. Ares handed Gregor the ring, while Luxa's passed through all her bridesmaids hands, before finally landing to hers. Gregor took Luxa's small, calloused hand in his, and slid the ring easily on her finger. Luxa took his hand in hers, and slid the ring on his finger.

"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." There was a long silence.

Then Henry said, his voice strangled with excitement. "Go ahead, kiss her!"

Gregor laughed, leaned forward, lifted the veil, and kissed her. The whole room cheered.

Gregor drew back, looking into Luxa's amythest eyes.

"I love you, Luxa." He said simply. Luxa smiled shakily.

"I love you too, Gregor."

Gorim: WHOOT! You go you two, tieing the knot! (chucks rice at them)

G&L: (blush)

Gorim: Last chapter is next, then I'll start on the 100 themes thing and the ... special story.

By the way, the chapter name, "Itsumo", is Japanese for "always". Just, so you all know.


	14. Epilogue

Gorim: Alas... it's the last chapter. I think this is the first time I actually finished something... Well, here's the comment replies.

idestroyuall: Thank you. So much. You were my first comment, I think... Well, thank you for sticking to the story for these last two weeks!

OnEdge: Well, who says he wasn't? All I said was he wasn't smirking. XD Nope, no way they could. I would like to thank you too, for sticking with it!

AresRocks: Yeah, I figured most of you guys might. Thanks to you too, for sticking with it!

And, to everyone! Thank you all, so much! I've learned a lot from this story, and I learned the most from all your comments! I hope you all come back to read 100 Themes, and the SPECIAL SUPER AWESOME STORY!

Judith ran up to Ares, Hamnet close behind her.

"Father, hurry up! I want to go see Aunt Maggie and Uncle Hazard!" Hamnet called behind his back. Gregor walked up, laughing.

"Right, right." He said.

"You only need to say it once, Father!" Judith said cheerfully, jumping onto Ares.

"Yeah. Right." He amended, mounting Ares. The bat laughed.

"Listen to your daughter, Gregor. You can learn some grammar from her," he said. Gregor huffed, but didn't say anything.

Luxa walked out. Or rather, a stately waddle. She was very, very close to having a child.

"Take your time," she said, giving her children a kiss, then turning to Gregor. "Don't die."

"Ouch," he muttered. "No respect. No love. Nothing." Luxa laughed and gave her husband a kiss.

"Better?" She asked. Gregor thought about it for a second, then kissed her again.

"Now I am," he said cheerfully.

"Get a room, you two," a voice called from behind them. The family turned and saw Howard walking up. Both kids leapt from Ares back, and ran over to their uncle.

"Uncle Howard!" They both tackled the man, who collapsed.

"Gah! Get off, you little monsters!" He laughed, waving his arms and legs, one child clamped onto his right arm, the other clamped on his leg.

Gregor laughed. "Come on, you two. Get off the man, before I leave you two behind." Both kids jumped off of Howard and ran back to Ares and Gregor. "Howard, you stop distracting my children."

Howard chuckled, and said, "Give everyone my best." Gregor nodded, and Ares finally lifted off, flying towards the Colony, which was now called "Amestria".

--

Ares coasted into Central Square, and both children jumped off and ran into their teenage aunt's arms. "Aunt Maggie!"

The young woman laughed, and her fiancée, Hazard, walked up from the Palace. "What? No hugs for me?" He said, grinning.

The children pounced on Hazard with a screech. "Uncle Hazard!" The man tumbled over.

"Wow! You are all getting very grown-up! And heavy!" He laughed. Apollo fluttered up.

"Greetings all," he said. They all greeted back cheerfully, and Lyra and Noah walked up, carrying a huge basket of…

"Apples!" Judith said happily. She grabbed one with a "thank you" and crunched down into it. Hamnet followed suit.

Henry and Chloe landed, also carrying a large woven basket. "These are for Regalia," said Henry. "Do not give any to Solovet. She'll taste them and probably start a war over them." Gregor laughed. "Any why are these delicious apples here, Queen Margaret?" Henry asked, looking slyly at Boots, who blushed.

"Because…" she muttered. Henry watched, his eyebrow raised questioningly. "Because of your plan…" Henry grinned. Boots sighed reluctantly and said, "You were right, Henry."

"You were right Henry." Henry said, beaming. "That means so, so much, coming from you." Boots hissed.

Judith ran up and asked, "Is there any way we can help, Miss Lyra?" The Halflander smiled.

"We need help with the harvest. Would you like to help with that?" She asked pleasantly.

"Ye-es!" Judith said happily, and jumped on Ares' back. "Onward, my friend! To the harvest place!" Gregor laughed, picked up his son, and jumped on behind Judith. Ares flew to a huge plain filled with uniformly spaced trees, which were littered with golden apples.

As they landed, they heard a girl yell, "No! Apollo, stop!" They all looked, and saw a little girl standing in front of a huge basket filled with apples. Apollo was trying to get past her.

"Oh, come one, Ena! There are so many! Just one?" Apollo whined.

"You have already had 'just one'! Now get back!" Ena snapped. Apollo, with a wounded look, snaked his wing around the little girl and snagged a particularly ripe, yummy looking apple.

"OH!" Shrieked Judith. She leapt off of Ares back, ran over to Apollo, and yanked the apple from his claw. "NO! Bad! Wrong! Badong!" She babbled. Gregor walked over to her, and pulled the apple out of the little girl's hand.

"Sorry about that…" he muttered, holding back his six year old, who was practically frothing at the mouth.

--

As Judith, who eventually calmed down, Hamnet, and Ares flew around, collecting apples, Gregor, Henry, Boots and Lyra all sat underneath a tree and talked.

"So," started Gregor. "What's happening with the Gnawers?"

"Sliverclaw was elected to be Queen." Boots replied, helping herself to an apple. Gregor looked confused.

"I didn't know you could use 'elected' and 'Queen' in the same sentence," he said.

"But that is not all," Lyra said excitedly. "She and Ripred are together now! He is king! And they have a pup!" This whole sentence caused Gregor's jaw to drop.

"Silverclaw? And Ripred? A PUP?!" He stammered. Lyra laughed.

"Yes, hard to believe, eh? The pup is called "Slivershard." She said. "No doubt Judith and Hamnet will meet her soon."

Boots cut in. "So, how is Luxa and Aurora?" Gregor blushed.

"Luxa's pregnant again," he said. "She's pretty far along. And Aurora is with child too. With Ares." The girls all had a chorus of "Awww." Henry looked rather embarrassed.

Chloe, who was sitting close by, said softly, "I think we have all turned out okay, you know. I think everything's going to be okay."

Gregor blinked, then turned and looked at his twins. "Yeah," he said with a smile. "Everything turned out okay."

And, by the words for David Eddings...

"And so, my children, this tale is over. There will be others, but for this on, it is the end."

If any of you have any questions, about me or the plotholes, or what happened to the other characters, ask. I shall reply!

Thank you all, again. My next story will be "Judith the Halflander". Tune in!


End file.
